The alleged leader of the "Real IRA", Mr Michael McKevitt, told an FBI agent that the 1998 Omagh bombing was a joint operation by the "Real IRA" and the Continuity IRA, the Special Criminal Court in Dublin was told yesterday.
Prosecuting counsel, Mr George Birmingham SC, said the chief prosecution witness against Mr McKevitt, US citizen Mr David Rupert, would tell the trial of several meetings he had with Mr McKevitt over a two-year period. He said Mr Rupert would give evidence that Mr McKevitt told him that car bombs were "out" - except against army bases; that cyber terrorism was the future, not car bombs; and that he would be working with someone known as James Smith, a former French Foreign Legionnaire who would be a good person for assassinating Tony Blair.
Mr Birmingham outlined the prosecution case against Mr McKevitt, the first person to be charged in the State with directing a terrorist organisation, at a preliminary hearing to decide on the disclosure of material to the defence. Mr McKevitt's trial is not due to go ahead until early next year.
Mr McKevitt's wife, Ms Bernadette Sands McKevitt, was in the public gallery, and when he was brought up from the cells to the dock, he blew her a kiss. At this point Mr Lawrence Rush, whose wife Libby was killed in Omagh, stood up and said: "My name is Lawrence Rush. I will see that you get justice for murdering my wife."
Mr Birmingham said that the essential evidence against Mr McKevitt would be that of Mr Rupert, who had no ties with this jurisdiction. Mr Rupert had worked in construction, forestry, insurance, trucking and catering. In 1992 one of his trucks was involved in a fatal traffic accident. As a result of claims of $15 millionhis company went into liquidation.
Mr Rupert visited Ireland on 25 occasions between August 1992 and October 2000. His visit in August 1992 was with his then girlfriend, Ms Linda Vaughan, a lobbyist for Noraid at the Florida state legislature.
Mr Rupert came into contact with prominent republicans associated with Republican Sinn Féin and its paramilitary wing, the Continuity IRA, and his associations came to the attention of the gardaí who contacted the FBI. In September 1994, the FBI's Chicago office approached Mr Rupert and canvassed him to report on his associations in Ireland. In December 1995, Mr Rupert leased the Drowse Bar in Co Leitrim, but the arrangements fell through after the FBI refused to give him financial support. In June 1997, the FBI asked him to assist the British Security Service. He had his first meetings with them in August 1997. From then on, he communicated with them by encrypted e-mails.
Mr Rupert was in Ireland in August 1998 at the time of the Omagh bomb and returned to the US shortly afterwards on the advice of his Republican Sinn Féin contacts.
He returned in November 1998 and attended the RSF ardfheis. He was introduced to Mr McKevitt and met him and two other men at a hotel in Monaghan on August 29th, 1999. Mr McKevitt said he would be very "hands-on" in terms of procurement, but he did not want to be the chief of staff or army council because he did not want the organisation to be seen as his. He said he had set up a four-man cell responsible for computer hacking, that the future lay in cyber terrorism, not in car bombs. Mr McKevitt spoke about Omagh and said it had been a joint operation: the "Real IRA" built the bomb and the Continuity IRA chose the target and delivered it.
At another meeting, in November 1999, attended by Liam Campbell, serving a prison sentence for membership, a man from Chicago and members of the "Real IRA" engineering and electronics department, Mr McKevitt referred to the discovery by gardaí of a "Real IRA" training camp at Stamullen, Co Meath. He said it was a setback, but that was all.
Mr Rupert would allege that Mr McKevitt told him he had been the quartermaster of the Provisional IRA and his objective was to unify dissident republicans behind Óglaigh na hÉireann.
Mr McKevitt mentioned "hits" outside Ireland, also attacks on those who took their seats in Stormont, army bases and the police. Mr McKevitt said he had been approached by the Continuity IRA to split a consignment of arms from Eastern Europe, but when the Continuity IRA could not come up with the funding he went ahead alone.
He said his technical people had perfected a "Barratt" type (sniper) rifle but were having problems with the barrels. He said the first "hit" would overshadow Omagh and he appointed Mr Rupert as his temporary liaison officer in the US. He told him the chain of command was himself, Liam Campbell and Ms Bernadette Sands McKevitt, his wife.
He spoke about a possible feud with the Provisional IRA and said that one of his staff had found out about Mr Gerry Adams's holiday home in Donegal and had passed it on to the media, resulting in his exclusion from the army council.
At a meeting in west Donegal, Mr Rupert was given a list of things to acquire, including laptop computers for remote detonation, timers, digital radios, marine magnets, encryption software and models of helicopters and rockets. In February 2000 Mr Rupert was again in Ireland and gave Mr McKevitt $9,900.
On March 29th, 2001, Mr McKevitt was arrested at his home and during a search gardaí found 200 grammes of mercury which forensic experts would say could be used in explosives, Mr Birmingham added.
Mr Hugh Harnett SC, counsel for McKevitt, said the disclosure of all documents was important because they related to the prior history of Mr Rupert, who was the essential witness for the prosecution.
He had been arrested on at least two occasions by the FBI for dishonesty and may have been investigated in relation to smuggling drugs. "Was a deal done?" he asked.
Mr Hartnett said that certain documents were being withheld on the grounds of privilege, but the US authorities claimed privilege without listing the documents. "At a high level in an Garda Síochána there was an attempt to deceive any court that might hear this case and hide the fact that Mr Rupert is unreliable and a liar, and that he lied about money given by an Garda Síochána."
Mr Hartnett read a number of affidavits from Mr McKevitt's solicitor, Mr James McGuill, concerning the need for the disclosure of all documents relating to Mr Rupert, and the responding affidavits.
The court also heard affidavits from the British ambassador, Sir Ivor Roberts; a British Treasury counsel, Mr Simon Denison; and from Mr James Krupkowski and Mr Charles Frahm of the FBI.
In an affidavit, Det Chief Supt Martin Callinan said the prosecution had furnished to the defence all documents in its possession or power of procurement.
Mr McKevitt's trial at the Special Criminal Court is due to go ahead early next year and is expected to last six weeks.
The British ambassador, Sir Ivor Roberts, was present in court yesterday and is expected to give evidence today.