A senior Sinn Féin source has rejected as "inconceivable" a statement by Tánaiste Mary Harney that the Garda Síochána is unaware of the whereabouts of the "Colombia Three".
The issue of whether the three Irishmen who were convicted of terrorist offences in Colombia are prepared to make themselves available to the Garda, as one of them stated, took a strange twist yesterday with both the Garda press office and Sinn Féin refusing to make any comment.
And neither could the Sinn Féin spokeswoman for the Bring Them Home campaign, Caitríona Ruane MLA, be contacted. She has changed her mobile number and the Sinn Féin press office refused to release it.
Around the same time Ms Harney, in her role as acting Minister for Justice in the absence on holiday of Michael McDowell, was telling RTÉ's Morning Ireland yesterday that the Garda could not locate the three men - James Monaghan, Niall Connolly and Martin McCauley.
Asked were the Garda looking for them, Ms Harney replied, "I think they are, yes, most certainly." And had they not been able to find them? "No," said Ms Harney.
She added the Garda were "using every avenue to try to establish where they are, that is my understanding".
"And those who know where they are, including Mr [ Gerry] Adams I am sure, should co-operate," she said.
The Sinn Féin president is on holidays, although his chief spokesman told The Irish Times earlier this week that there was no need for Mr Adams to intervene as Mr Monaghan of the "Colombia Three" said they were willing to talk to the Garda. Now the chief spokesman is on holidays and was not contactable by phone or text message yesterday.
The circular nature of this journalistic enterprise continued apace when the Sinn Féin press office in Belfast was contacted yesterday. "Absolutely no comment," said the press officer.
But Mr Adams says the men are available to meet the Garda while Ms Harney says the Garda can't find them. Which is it? "Are the gardaí saying they can't contact them?" the press officer retorted, obviously aware the Garda press office is saying nothing.
Later a senior Sinn Féiner opened up a little to accuse Ms Harney of "playing politics" with the issue. He was absolutely certain the Garda know where the men are. "It is inconceivable that they don't have that information," he said.
