Shankill bomber Seán Kelly was dramatically freed from Maghaberry prison last night on the eve of an anticipated declaration by the IRA that it is to adopt a purely political agenda.
Mr Kelly, who had been freed under the terms of the Belfast Agreement in 2000, was serving nine life sentences for the 1993 Shankill bombing which also claimed the life of his IRA accomplice. He was sent back to jail by Northern Secretary Peter Hain last month following trouble at an Orange march protest in Ardoyne in north Belfast.
Mr Hain said he did so on foot of intelligence reports and following DUP protestations about Mr Kelly. The Northern Ireland Office has persistently claimed Mr Hain acted in good faith and not in response to any political agenda despite a vociferous campaign by Sinn Féin which claimed Mr Kelly had been interned.
That decision was reversed last night with Mr Kelly being allowed out pending an appeal of his re-arrest to the Sentences Review Commission. That appeal is due to be submitted today.
Mr Kelly's solicitors have claimed for the past month they could not appeal the re-arrest because they did not know the specific grounds on which their client was sent back to jail.
Normally prisoners returned to jail make their case to the commission while still in prison.
Unionists, already angry at Prime Minster Tony Blair's distinction between al-Qaeda and republican violence, last night reacted with incredulity.
Lagan Valley MP Jeffrey Donaldson told The Irish Times: "This is an outrageous decision and smacks of political expediency."
Questioning the British government's motives he added: "If the Secretary of State had information three weeks ago that Kelly was re-involved in terrorism and was a danger to the public then what has changed?"
He said: "With an IRA statement imminent it is clear this decision is politically motivated."