A federal district judge in San Francisco, in a written ruling, has affirmed the extradition to the UK of three Northern Ireland men as requested by the British government. Judge Charles J. Legge rejected arguments that Kevin Barry Artt, Pol Brennan and Terry Kirby would be harmed by prison or state authorities if returned to Belfast. The extradition order was reviewed by the ninth District Court of Appeals in San Francisco. The three were among 38 prisoners who escaped from the Maze Prison outside Belfast in 1983, and subsequently made their way to California. They were arrested individually in the early 1990s after settling down under false names. Two had married, fathered children and were employed.
Nineteen of the escapers were recaptured in Northern Ireland. Three have died, and only four have not been traced. It is believed that Scotland Yard tracked down the wanted men and the arrests were made by local, state or federal agents. Jimmy Smyth, one of the prisoners who escaped from the Maze in 1983 and also ended up in the United States, was extradited in August 1996 on terms reportedly worked out by the White House. These included guarantees against punishment, eligibility for parole and no additional charges. If this is correct, then similar terms may be worked out in the cases of Artt, Brennan and Kirby.
Legal opinion is divided on the likely fate of the three, with the odds on extradition. Deportation is an easier matter. There are seven cases pending and, with the IRA ceasefire in place, those involved may be allowed to stay in the United States.
Mr Bruce Morrison, Mr Brian O'Dwyer and Mr Frank Durkan, influential figures in the Democratic Party on Irish-American affairs, received "satisfactory assurances" regarding the cases of the seven. Mr Morrison is close politically and personally to President Clinton.