The apparent involvement of former IRA members in the armed hijacking of a lorry carrying vodka worth €300,000 will create distrust in the peace process at a crucial time, the Minister for Justice said last night, write Conor Lally and Mark Hennessy.
Speaking in Killarney, Mr McDowell said some participants in the raid "appeared to have been members of the IRA and that one of them appears to have been released under the terms of the Good Friday agreement".
Three men were still being questioned last night in Longford and Mullingar Garda stations.
Two of the men who were arrested yesterday following the raid are brothers who have been members of the Provisional IRA. One of the men was sentenced to six years for explosives charges in 1997 but was released within six months under the terms of the Belfast Agreement.
Prisoners were released "on licence" in the Republic following the implementation of the agreement. However, that licence can only be revoked within the period of time they would have spent in jail.
After that period, such former prisoners could only be returned to jail if they were convicted of further crimes.
Mr McDowell said he was "concerned at the potential outfall from events like this. It is deeply disappointing that somebody who availed of the Good Friday agreement, to be released from prison on an explosives charge, is found apparently in these circumstances."
Mr McDowell said the hijacking and suspected involvement of former IRA men could have serious implications for the peace process as republicans come under increasing pressure to end criminality.
But he cautioned: "It does depend very much as to whether this was something done as part of a paramilitary exercise or purely for private gain.
"I don't want to jump to any further conclusions at this point but this kind of criminality, whoever carries it out, or for whatever reason, is wholly unacceptable."
A Sinn Féin spokesman said the Meath hijack was "a criminal matter that should be investigated by the gardaí and prosecuted in the courts. It should not be turned into a wider issue. Hijacking is theft and it should be pursued by the gardaí," said the spokesman.
The lorry left Bailieboro, Co Cavan for Dublin at 9.30am. It was hijacked on the Dublin side of Dunshaughlin, Co Meath, at around 11am. The vehicle was later found at noon in Delvin, Co Westmeath.
Gardaí saw a man known to them driving it, became suspicious and stopped him. The three men were arrested at the scene and a black 4x4 vehicle was also seized. Gardaí believe at least one of the attackers was armed.
Gardaí did not know about the hijacking when they arrested the men. The truck driver was found uninjured in a field in Carberry, Co Kildare. He was released by the hijackers and managed to phone gardaí to raise the alarm.