Donaldson killing and hijacking not examined

The International Monitoring Commission was unable to comment on a number of incidents that may have involved members of the …

The International Monitoring Commission was unable to comment on a number of incidents that may have involved members of the Provisional IRA.

The murder of the British agent working within Sinn Fein, Denis Donaldson, and the hijacking of a truck carrying vodka both fell outside the timeframe examined by the Commission.

Mr Donaldson was found shot dead in a cottage in Co Donegal earlier this month. The senior Sinn Fein official in Stormont moved there after he was outed as a Britsh agent.

The IMC said it was "not in a position to attribute responsibility for the murder.

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"We will continue to monitor the situation and will report on any further developments."

The hijacking in Co Meath on March 10th last also happened the end of the period covered by the report, which looked at activities in the three months between December and February.

"Three men have been arrested and are facing charges in connection with the incident. Two of them are known to have been members of PIRA, one of whom was released from prison in the south under the terms of the Belfast Agreement.

But the IMC noted the robbery had been condemned unreservedly by Sinn Fein, most notably by Martin McGuiness who said that "anyone involved in activity of this nature, no matter what political party they support, needs to be arrested, charged and brought to court before a jury of their peers."

The Commission said it belived the robbery was carried out for personal gain, "which

suggests that the republican movement is having some difficulties in ensuring that all members live up to the commitments in the July 2005 statement."

The IRA officially announced an end to its armed campaign on July 28th last year.

Patrick  Logue

Patrick Logue

Patrick Logue is Digital Editor of The Irish Times