A convicted murderer and former IRA activist turned informer, Mr Sean O'Callaghan, was being held in Garda custody early today following his arrest in the Four Courts in Dublin shortly after he had given evidence in a libel action.
Mr O'Callaghan was taken to Naas Garda station, Co Kildare, where it is understood he was being questioned about a number of matters, including the death of Mr John Corcoran, an IRA man murdered in Kerry in March 1985.
Mr O'Callaghan was arrested under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act, 1939, under which he can be held for up to 48 hours.
He had claimed as far back as 1988 that he had murdered Mr Corcoran, a Garda informer within the IRA. He told an American audience last year he still faced possible arrest in the Republic for Mr Corcoran's murder. The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Mr O'Donoghue, ordered a Garda report on Mr Corcoran's death late last year. The report was received this year, and the Minister was considering it, a spokesman for his Department said last night.
Mr O'Callaghan was surrounded by gardai as he left Court No 4 of the High Court shortly after 4 p.m. After hurried discussion in a corridor, he was brought to an unmarked Garda car in the Chancery Street yard behind the Four Courts.
He had given evidence on behalf of the Sunday Times on the opening day of a libel action by a Co Louth farmer, Mr Thomas Murphy, against the newspaper.
Mr Murphy claims he was libelled in an article, published on June 30th, 1985, which dealt with an IRA campaign to bomb seaside resorts in Britain.
Mr O'Callaghan told the court Mr Thomas "Slab" Murphy was present at an IRA "Revolutionary Council" meeting in 1983 which was also attended by the current Sinn Fein president, Mr Gerry Adams, the vice-president, Mr Pat Doherty, and the party's current chief negotiator, Mr Martin McGuinness.
???i then that he wished to do so in order to work against the IRA, and had done so.
Mr O'Callaghan said he had served eight years in prisoner for the murders of a UDR woman and a detective inspector, to which he had pleaded guilty.
While in prison, the situation always was that he would have liked to do everything to damage the capability of the IRA to murder. Mr Murphy gave only limited evidence yesterday and is to resume his evidence at a later stage of the trial.
Mr O'Callaghan is scheduled to resume his evidence next Tuesday.