The Sinn Féin TD, Mr Aengus Ó Snodaigh, has said he has no knowledge of claims aired in the Dáil yesterday in which he was alleged to have taken part in a "horrific and barbaric act".
Mr Ó Snodaigh denied knowledge of any such allegation after the Fianna Fáil TD, Mr Noel Davern, said he should make a statement to the Dáil on the issue.
The Dublin South-Central TD has been urged in recent days to explain the conviction for Provisional IRA membership of one of his close political associates, Niall Binéad.
Mr Ó Snodaigh claimed the conviction by the Special Criminal Court was "very unsafe" after Binéad, who kept surveillance details on senior Dáil politicians, was jailed for four years with another IRA member, Kenneth Donohoe.
Mr Davern made a brief reference to an allegation against Mr Ó Snodaigh in the Dáil yesterday morning, but declined to elaborate when questioned about his remarks later on.
"I wonder if time could be made available for a personal statement by Deputy Ó Snodaigh on the allegations that he took part in a horrific and barbaric act? It is time he made a statement on that issue," he said in the Dáil.
Mr Ó Snodaigh said he knew nothing of the claims. "I haven't a clue of what he's talking about. To my knowledge, there's been no allegations made against me and if there was I would answer them forthright," he said. He had no intention of responding to unspecific allegations. "Otherwise, I'd end up running around answering every rumour and tabloid story that's written about republicans on this island."
Mr Ó Snodaigh said he was aware of an article in Ireland on Sunday last weekend which reported that an unnamed "Sinn Féin candidate" had observed a violent attack on an alleged drug dealer from a rooftop in the weeks before the 2002 General Election.
Referring to the article, Mr Ó Snodaigh said: "It bears no relationship to anything that ever happened to my knowledge and seems like a flight of fancy by the journalist."
Mr Ó Snodaigh said he would do "whatever was required" if specific allegations were made against him.
