The Lord Mayor of Belfast has said the reported decision to free a man convicted of the IRA bombing of Canary Wharf is "nothing short of an absolute scandal".
Mr Sammy Wilson, who is also a DUP MLA, criticised the decision by the Northern Secretary to free James McArdle (31) using the royal prerogative of mercy.
"In order to keep bombs out of London, the government is prepared to let London bombers out of jail. There is no depth to which this Government will not stoop in order to placate terrorists," he said.
McArdle was one of a fourman IRA unit responsible for planting the bomb in February 1996 which killed two men and ended the first IRA ceasefire.
A bricklayer from Crossmaglen, McArdle was a key figure in the South Armagh brigade of the IRA where he was also a senior bomb-maker. He was one of four IRA men arrested by the SAS at a Crossmaglen farm in 1997 as part of an operation against the group's sniping activities in the area. His fingerprints were then matched to material recovered by police investigating the Canary Wharf bombing.
McArdle has served three years and three months in prison and was given an early release date of next March because time he spent on remand in an English prison was not taken into account. However, after examining his case, Mr Mandelson decided to use the royal prerogative to release him at the same time as most remaining prisoners.
The exact timing of McArdle's release is unknown but it is believed to be some time this week. Sinn Fein said he had been notified of the decision but the Northern Ireland Office refused to confirm or deny this. A spokeswoman for the NIO said that in such cases the release would not be made public until it had actually taken place.
Sinn Fein Assembly Member Mr Gerry Kelly welcomed the impending release. "In our view all the prisoners that are covered under the Good Friday agreement should be released this week and in our view it was only right that this included James McArdle," he said.
News of his release could spark off a legal action by the three INLA prisoners serving life sentences after their convictions in October 1998 for murdering Billy Wright inside the Maze in 1997. INLA prisoners spokesman Mr Willie Gallagher said they agreed with the release "but it is only right the INLA prisoners are freed also."
Under the Belfast Agreement, prisoners must serve a minimum of two years of their sentences before release. This was reflected by one of Wright's killers, who told detectives in 1998 "Billy Wright won't be getting out in two years."