Real IRA bomb expert nabbed in West Bank

JERUSALEM - A member of the Real Irish Republican Army arrested by Israelis in the West Bank on Saturday has denied being there to train Palestinian militants to use explosives.

The man, John Morgan, 40, was stopped at an army roadblock near Ramallah.

Israeli officials said British intelligence sources had informed them of Morgan's arrival in Israel as a tourist three weeks ago.

They said Morgan had denied any connection with terrorist activities.

According to British sources, Morgan was a member of the mainstream IRA until four years ago when he switched allegiance to the so-called Real IRA which does not accept the IRA's 1998 agreement to a ceasefire in Northern Ireland.

An Israeli source said that Morgan was known to have 'a history in the IRA and know- ledge of explosives'.

The Shin Bet, the organisation for Israel's internal security, is questioning Morgan and trying to establish whether he had indeed come to train Palestinians in the sophisticated use of explosives and, if so, whether he was doing it out of empathy for the Palestinian cause or for pay.

It is common to see pro-Palestinian slogans painted on walls in hardline Catholic districts of Belfast, while in staunchly Protestant areas of the capital, Israeli flags are sometimes flown alongside British flags.

The IRA is known for its advanced knowledge of explosives and has, in the more distant past, cooperated with Palestinian groups.

There were reports last year that a sniper who killed 10 Israeli soldiers at a West Bank roadblock may have been a mercenary who was linked to the IRA.

Although Palestinian militants have improved their bombing techniques during the uprising of the past three years, their capabilities with explosives are still regarded as relatively limited.

Israel and Britain are investigating the possibility that one of two Palestinians deported to Dublin a year ago has been in touch with the Real IRA.

The pair were deported as part of the deal that lifted the Israeli siege of the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem where several dozen Palestinian militants had taken shelter.

Meanwhile, Palestinian security officials have joined Israeli forces searching for an Israeli taxi driver kidnapped in Ramallah on Friday by Palestinian militants.

Palestinian prisoners issued a call through the media yesterday for the kidnappers to release the man so as not to undermine Palestinian Authority efforts to win the release of thousands as part of a peace process.