COLOMBIA THREE TURN THEMSELVES IN

C O N F I D E N T I A L DUBLIN 001022 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/31/2015 TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER KCRM EI CO SUBJECT: COLOMBIA THREE TURN THEMSELVES IN REF: A. DUBLIN 1006 AND PREVIOUS ¶B. BOGOTA 7727 Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Jonathan S. Benton; Reasons 1.4 (B) and (D). ¶1. (C) Summary: On August 18, the Colombia Three voluntarily presented themselves to the Irish police. The Irish Department of Justice (DOJ) believes that the Garda will release the men and turn to the Director of Public Prosecutions for a decision on charges. The DOJ has also asked for Embassy assistance in obtaining information on the FARC, in anticipation of legal cases against the Colombia Three. End summary. ¶2. (C) On August 18, Irish Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary General Sean Aylward informed Ambassador that the SIPDIS Colombia Three (James Monaghan, Niall Connelly, and Martin McCauley, who fled Colombia following convictions last December for training the FARC) would voluntarily present themselves to the Irish police (Garda) (ref A). Under a prior arrangement with the Garda, the three arrived separately with their respective legal representatives at three police stations in Dublin. DOJ Assistant Secretary Ken O'Leary told Emboff that the Garda were questioning the men in connection with possible offenses under Irish law, ranging from use of fake travel documents to participation in terrorist activities. O'Leary believed that the Garda would release the men after questioning and would prepare a report for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP),James Hamilton, who would have responsibility for deciding on charges. (Under Irish law, the Garda cannot hold a suspect for more than 12 hours without bringing charges. The DPP would have no time limit within which to announce charges if the men were released within 12 hours.) ¶3. (C) Anticipating likely legal cases against the Colombia Three, O'Leary asked for Embassy/USG recommendations on open-source information (websites and published reports) regarding the FARC. He also requested USG intelligence on the FARC's relationship with the IRA, particularly with the Colombia Three. Embassy is pursuing these requests. ¶4. (U) The Irish television station, RTE, reported that the Garda had "arrested" Connelly for obtaining a false Irish passport, an offense under Section Four of the Criminal Justice Act. RTE also reported that Monaghan and McCauley were speaking with the Garda on a voluntary basis and that the Garda had been in touch with the Colombia Three's legal representatives since their return to Ireland. O'Leary later clarified for Emboff that Connelly had not been charged, but rather was being "questioned under caution" with regard to the passport issue. ¶5. (C) Rita O'Hare, Sinn Fein representative to the United States, told Embassy that Sinn Fein was considering a statement on the matter. She believed that the statement, if issued, would refer to the importance of enabling the Colombia Three to get on with their lives and their families. KENNY