IRA bomber Seán Kelly released from prison

With speculation mounting over an expected IRA statement on the group's future, the Northern Ireland Office tonight sanctioned the release of Shankill IRA bomber Seán Kelly, over a month after it revoked his early release licence.

Seán Kelly had his early release licence revoked in June and he was returned to prison by Secretary of State Peter Hain after it was claimed he had broken the terms of his licence.

It is understood Mr Kelly has been granted temporary release to appeal his recommital to the Sentence Review Board.

Unionist reaction to Mr Kelly's release was quick. Democratic Unionist Party MP Jeffrey Donaldson said he was outraged and said "this was clearly and purely politically motivated."

Sir Reg Empey, leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, described the decision as an "act of madness" and said it was an "act of capitulation" to republicans.

Mr Kelly was given nine life sentences for the 1993 Shankill Road bombing, which killed 10 people including his IRA accomplice. He was freed on licence in 2000 under the Belfast Agreement.

Northern Secretary Peter Hain ordered his rearrest on June 18th, the day after violence in Ardoyne at a controversial Orange march, and he was returned to Maghaberry prison.

At the time, the Northern Ireland Office denied the rearrest was in any way politically motivated.

Under the terms of the agreement, prisoners who were granted early release but were subsequently rearrested must apply to the Sentence Review Commissioners to challenge their detention.

Mr Kelly's release is a significant development in the context of an expected IRA statement on the group's future.

It comes as Sinn Féin's chief negotiator, Mr Martin McGuinness, flew to the US ahead of the IRA's expected landmark statement on its future.

Observers have billed the trip as significant, as in the past senior Sinn Féin figures have travelled to the US ahead of key moves by the provisional IRA such as the 1994 ceasefire and acts of decommissioning.

Earlier today, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said he was confident a ground-breaking move by the provisional IRA was imminent. He said he expected some movement within the next 24 or 36 hours

Speaking in Galway today, he said "I think hopefully, hopefully, because I can't be certain on this issue, because I don't control the writing of these statements, but the Government's position is very clear on it that I do genuinely believe that we are within days of seeing an enormous change in the situation," he said

The IRA has spent the last four months debating how to answer calls from Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams to abandon the armed struggle and embrace democracy.

And with a public statement from the IRA expected, possibly in the next 24 hours, Mr Ahern stressed the terror group had to address all the issues from arms, to training, to targeting.

"I have given you, I think, the issues that we want to see, the issues of decommissioning fully dealt with, we want to see the full range of arms and explosives and all of the military arms dealt with," he said.

"We want to see criminality and all of the issues, the targeting, the procurement, the training, all these issues fully and completely ended.

"The only way that can be done is if the provisional IRA move and instruct their volunteers to end the campaign that has gone on for years, but we have to wait and see what happens."