An FBI agent successfully infiltrated the leadership of the "Real IRA" and communicated with the FBI and MI5 by email, the Special Criminal Court in Dublin was told yesterday. The court was told that Mr David Rupert will be the central prosecution witness against Mr Michael McKevitt (51), from Blackrock, Dundalk, Co Louth, who is charged with directing the activities of the "Real IRA".
Mr George Birmingham SC, prosecuting, said Mr Rupert's emails to the FBI and British Security Service had to be edited before they could be made available to McKevitt's defence because they included material that would put people's lives at risk. Mr Birmingham said the defence had been given Mr Rupert's proposed statement, which will appear in the book of evidence. He said the edited emails would be made available to the defence but would not be part of the book of evidence.
Mr Stephen McCann BL, defending, said he had been notified that the garda file on the case had not yet been submitted to the Chief State Solicitor's office. It was expected to be submitted this week.
The court remanded McKevitt in continuing custody until June 13th, when it will fix a date for a bail application.
Mr McKevitt is charged with being a member of an unlawful organisation styling itself the Irish Republican Army. He is also charged with directing its activities between August 29, 1999 and October 23rd, 2000. He is the first person to be charged with directing an unlawful organisation, an offence under Section 6 of the Offences Against the State (Amendment) Act 1998, brought in on September 3rd, 1998, two weeks after the Omagh bombing of August 15th, which killed 29 people and injured more than 200. Anyone convicted of directing an unlawful organisation is liable to life imprisonment.