The Northern Ireland Office has described as "speculation" newspaper reports that the RUC had been ordered not to arrest 41 republican fugitives. The allegations made by Ulster Unionist MP Mr Jeffrey Donald son were reported in the Sunday Times and were said to be backed up by senior security sources. Mr Donaldson said he had been contacted by senior security figures about the list. He did not know of any of those on the list having been ignored by the police, nor did he know if i the Garda had been given a similar list.
Under the terms of the Belfast Agreement, it is unlikely that, if captured, those on the wanted list would serve much time in prison. Mr Donaldson said they should serve their full sentences as they had not come forward sooner.
The Sunday Times said steps had been taken to prevent those on the list being stopped by the security forces, including removing their images from books of photographs used to inform the RUC about wanted persons. An NIO spokesman said there was "no foundation" to the article.
It is believed that included on the list are Robert Campbell, who escaped from Crumlin Road courthouse while on trial for the murder of an SAS officer in 1981, Maze escapers Anthony Kelly and Liam Averill, and Nessan Quinlivan, who broke free from Brixton jail in 1981.