THE British Ministry of Defence launched an investigation yesterday after an RAF filing cabinet containing security documents on the IRA was sold at an auction.
A MoD spokeswoman said there would be an immediate investigation into the incident but stated it was believed that the documents were of "very low classification" and used only for training purposes.
"Until the documents are returned we can make no further comment," she added.
However, according to the 53-year-old businessman who bought the filing cabinet for £20 at an MoD auction in Gloucestershire, the documents describe how the IRA makes bombs, grenades, booby-traps and anti-tank missiles.
One envelope marked "restricted" contained detailed photographs and diagrams of favoured IRA weapons, including mortars, which were used in the attack on Downing Street in 1993 and instructions on building an "electronic incendiary device" with a built-in 11-hour delay.
A letter from RAF Strike Command in High Wycombe, which was found with the photographs stated: "Note the classification, they are not for general display because they provide excellent blueprints for weapons manufacture."
After giving all the documents to the Sun newspaper, the anonymous businessman described the incident as a "disgrace" and hoped that the MoD officials responsible would resign.
"At a time when the country is asked to be alert because of the IRA threat, a cock-up like this is a national scandal.
"If these documents had fallen into the wrong hands, innocent people could have died. It is a disgrace and heads should roll," he said.
By Rachel Donnelly