FBI agent Mr David Rupert told the Special Criminal Court yesterday that a prominent dissident Derry republican, Mr Mickey Donnelly, told him "a Garda detective delivered weapons to him in the trunk of the car. I knew there were a lot of strange loyalties," he said.
Mr Rupert also said he asked the FBI for two million dollars after tax for agreeing to testify against the alleged "Real IRA" leader, Mr Michael McKevitt.
Mr Rupert said initially he was not interested in testifying and wanted to "walk away" after taking what was in his contract as an intelligence operative. But when he watched a television programme on the 1998 Omagh bombing , "I decided differently". "Since then we have had 9/11 and I'm happy I did," he added. Mr Rupert said "the money had always been in the picture" but added that after what he had been through over the past 2½ years, including death threats to his stepdaughter and brother, "there wasn't enough money."
Mr Rupert told Mr Hugh Hartnett SC, defending, that he agreed to testify in the latter part of 2000 "for a large sum of cash and in the right circumstances".
He said: "The right circumstances were the prosecution would do something to stop the bloodshed brought about by the 'Real IRA'." Mr Rupert said that he asked the FBI for two million dollars after tax to cover his security for the rest of his life and to replace lost wages. "That was what we were going to need to see us through the rest of our lives," he added. He said the money was not for testifying. "I wanted it for security and for the damage agreeing to testify was going to cause us," he added.
"I didn't ask for $2 million to testify. I simply asked for money for security and to replace our wages," he said. He also told the court he looked for cash up front but said this was part of the two million dollars figure. "I wanted that as an advance payment, a good faith payment."
"The FBI primarily were trying to deal with the situation that they had within the confines of the rules they had to work by. Whatever rules they had to work with didn't gel with my rules," he said. "My testimony wasn't for sale. It was a liability that was created for me and my family," he said. "We had a lifelong problem with a very dangerous group," he said. He said that bodies are still being looked for 30 years later.
Mr Rupert said he hoped to make a million dollars from a publisher for a book about his exploits. He also said there had been discussions about film rights to the book.
It was the 18th day of the trial of Mr Michael McKevitt (53), Beech Park, Blackrock, Dundalk, Co Louth, who denies membership of an unlawful organisation styling itself the Irish Republican Army, otherwise the IRA, between August 29th, 1999 and March 28th, 2001. He also denies directing the activities of the same organisation.
The trial continues.