The IRA has thrown out three members, two of them high-ranking, following the murder last month of Belfast man Mr Robert McCartney. Dan Keenan, Mark Brennock & Mark Hennessy report.
In a statement issued last night to RTÉ the organisation conceded that "some republicans were involved" in the stabbing of the 33-year-old father of two outside a city centre bar after a brawl
The statement said the three expulsions followed an IRA investigation into the killing and a subsequent "court martial". It says one of its members, disciplined after the killing, has gone to a solicitor "to make a statement of his actions".
"The other two were advised in the strongest terms possible to come forward and to take responsibility for their actions, as the McCartney family have asked," the statement continued.
A spokesman for the McCartney family said last night they were carefully studying the statement. "At the moment, the family is just assessing what the IRA have said and they do not want to make any hasty remarks about it. It is quite a lengthy statement and they don't feel it is right to comment on it just at the minute," the spokesman said.
"Once they get their thoughts together in the morning, they will write a statement and issue it publicly," he added.
The Government last night refused to comment on the IRA statement.
The statement contains a detailed account of the events in Magennis's Whiskey Cafe on the day of the murder and confirms many accounts of the murder and the immediate aftermath.
It claims that those involved in the violence were also responsible for the destruction of evidence at the murder scene. This included the removal of forensic evidence and the theft of CCTV tape from a camera at the scene.
The IRA's comments follow a concerted campaign for justice by Mr McCartney's sisters which has included the leaders of a range of political parties North and South. There has been widespread criticism of the murder, especially in Sinn Féin strongholds and in Short Strand where Mr McCartney lived and was well-regarded.
The IRA's statement says nothing should impede the family's search for justice. "There should be no misunderstanding of our position in that regard. Any intimidation or threats in the name of the IRA or otherwise to any person who wishes to help the McCartney family will not be tolerated."
It continues: "The internal disciplinary steps taken by the IRA are a matter for the IRA. They are not intended to be, nor should they be, seen as a substitute for the requests of the McCartney family."
Mr McCartney's sisters have said they have confidence in the PSNI investigation and they want anyone with information to give it to the police - a position at odds with the traditional republican stance..
The statement says there will be "no tolerance" of anyone who steps outside of the IRA's rules, regulations or code of conduct. "Anyone who brings the IRA into disrepute will be held accountable," it adds.
Eight people have been arrested and questioned by the PSNI in relation to the killing. All have been released without charge.
The Chief Constable of the PSNI, Mr Hugh Orde, had stated earlier that the murder was not carried out by a paramilitary organisation "in pursuance of its stated objectives".
Speaking in Navan yesterday before the IRA statement, the Sinn Féin chairman, Mr Mitchel McLauglin, said republicans had been slow to react appropriately because of the criticism they had faced in the aftermath of the Northern Bank robbery in December.
"My view is that republicans did not respond in the way in which they would have normally responded. Why? (It is) because everybody and their mother were jumping on republicans from a great height.
"I think that affected the ability of people, because here was an issue that was very close to home. It did involve republicans and it did involve a very decent family within our constituency," he said.