A Sinn Féin election candidate in Derry has claimed his his house was broken into by British intelligence.
Former IRA hunger striker Raymond McCartney said he discovered a notebook containing diagrams of his house.
Mr McCartney, who was due to contest the Foyle constituency for the party in the recently postponed Assembly Elections, produced two diagrams of keys to hishouse which he said were in the notebook.
"My family and I were away over the weekend and when we returned home on Sunday night I noticed a notebook lying in the kitchen," he said.
"On examination of this book I found it contained sketches and the precise measurements of the keys to my doors.
"It is obvious that someone had illegally entered my home and had taken the measurements of the locks on my doors.
"I believe that this burglary was carried out by members of British intelligence who have increased their surveillance operations of me since I wasnominated to stand as a candidate in the recent election."
Sinn Féin will raise the incident with Irish Foreign Minister Brian Cowen who is due to visit Derry's Guildhall tonight.
Mr McCartney, who was questioned in April 2002 about the break-in at a top security Special Branch office in Belfast, said he was "shaken" by theincident and was seeking legal advice.
"Given the history of collusion between British intelligence and the SpecialBranch with unionist death squads, my family now believe that apart from thesecurity of our home being compromised this information will be handed over tounionist paramilitaries," he continued.
"Accordingly I have been in contact with my solicitor seeking advice as towhat options are open to me to establish on what basis my home was burgled andmy family's right to privacy violated."
Raymond McCartney was a former Officer Commanding of the IRA prisoners in theMaze Prison.
He also took part in the first republican hunger strike in 1980.
PA