Anti-abortion groups say they did not meet Kopp

Irish anti-abortion groups have said they were unaware Mr James Kopp was hiding in Ireland

Irish anti-abortion groups have said they were unaware Mr James Kopp was hiding in Ireland. He spent 12 months in this State using false identities.

The FBI and Garda are trying to find out if anyone or any group here helped him. He has no family or antecedent links to Ireland, according to the FBI.

A Pro-Life Campaign spokesman, Mr John Smyth, said "there was not a murmur going around in any circle that he was here," adding that Mr Kopp would have been "very foolish" to try to contact groups here.

"No mainstream pro-life person would have associated with him as we'd be the first to hand him over to the authorities," he said.

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A Youth Defence spokesman, Mr Justin Barrett, was surprised to hear that Mr Kopp spent a year in Ireland. "I have spoken to our members and can be pretty sure no one came across him," he said. He had checked the group's record of contacts against one of Mr Kopp's alleged pseudonyms, "Seamus O'Briain", and came up with nothing. "He certainly did not come across us with that name, nor does his face look familiar."

Mr Barrett said the Garda had not approached anyone in the group to see if any contact had been made, although he said this was not surprising.

"Historically speaking, people involved in abortion violence are never in touch with mainstream groups in any country. Even in a country like the US which has legalised abortion for 27 years there is no support for abortion violence. It's quite counterproductive apart from being totally at odds with the pro-life movement."

Echoing these views, Mr Smyth said there was no justification for acts of violence against doctors. "It's totally contradictory. If you are pro-life you are pro all life," he said.

He described as absurd the suggestion that Mr Kopp "may have been given a safe house by pro-life people" and said: "The last group of people he would have associated with would have been those with whom he may have been suspected of hanging around".

Mr Kopp was employed for a week at the City of Dublin Skin & Cancer Hospital in Hume Street at the end of January and in early February as a temporary typist.

The hospital had sought an agency typist when it was unable to fill a post. "Mr Kopp was recruited through a reputable staff recruitment agency which the hospital has used for more than a decade," the hospital said in a statement. "The agency has informed the hospital that his references and work record were checked, and appeared to be bona fide."

Gardai contacted the hospital about Mr Kopp about two weeks ago.

Mr Kopp, who has been nicknamed "Atomic Dog" by anti-abortionists, is on the FBI's 10 most-wanted list of fugitives. He is also being sought in Canada in connection with the attempted murder of two doctors who provided abortion services there.