A MEETING between alleged Real IRA leader Michael McKevitt and FBI agent David Rupert never occurred, the Omagh bomb civil trial sitting in Dublin heard yesterday.
Kieran Vaughan, counsel for McKevitt, suggested to a senior garda that he was either “lying or mistaken” in his belief that he saw the pair along with their wives leaving a hotel in Dundalk in October 2000.
Det Sgt Noel McGuigan said he saw the four leave the Ballymascanlon Hotel at about 8.15pm on October 23rd, 2000. He walked past them and saw them for between eight and 12 seconds.
Mr Vaughan said it would be the defence contention that no such meeting ever took place. McKevitt has always denied knowing Mr Rupert.
The prosecution in the Omagh bombing civil trial are seeking to establish that McKevitt, who was jailed for directing terrorism in 2003, was the leader of the Real IRA which carried out the bombing. Central to their case will be evidence provided by Mr Rupert, who infiltrated the Real IRA, and whose testimony was central to McKevitt’s conviction.
The prosecution are using Mr Rupert’s evidence in relation to the Omagh bombing for the first time. Det Sgt McGuigan said it was “absolute rubbish” to say he had not seen the four. “I saw what I saw,” he told the court. He explained that Mr Rupert was an “extraordinarily large man” and was therefore unmistakable.
McKevitt denied ever knowing Mr Rupert when he was arrested following a search of his home in Beech Park, Blackrock, Co Louth, on March 29th, 2001, the trial heard.
Gardaí recovered a bottle of mercury, which could be used for bomb-making purposes, a road map of Yugoslavia, a book on Yugoslavia, newspaper clippings and items related to the 32 County Sovereignty Committee.
McKevitt was taken to Balbriggan Garda station where he was arrested and charged with membership of an illegal organisation – the IRA. He denied membership and also said that he had ever known or met Mr Rupert.
Evidence was also given in relation to the arrest and charge of Liam Campbell, the alleged director of operations of the Real IRA, who was jailed in 2001 for membership of an illegal organisation.
Insp Willie Hanrahan said that, when Campbell was arrested at his home in Upper Faughart, Dundalk, Co Louth, on October 3rd, 2000, he was very agitated.
Det Garda Paul Burke said officers recovered some stg£2,000, several mobile phones, two full body suits, two face masks, a roll of tubing, a roll of black tape and other items.
Detectives also noted that there was an underground room in Campbell’s house which could be accessed through a downstairs bedroom. But the room was empty.
At the opening of the Dublin end of the trial, Michael Higgins SC, for McKevitt, said that some of the questions put by the relatives could be answered in the Dublin court, but later disallowed before the trial judge in Belfast, creating a prejudice against his client.
He also complained that the questions, drafted by the families, were received by his client only last week.
