Irish police release BBC journalists

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The four BBC journalists arrested in the Irish Republic on Sunday while investigating the Real IRA have been released without charge, a garda spokeswoman said today.

They were among 11 men yesterday arrested by Irish police probing paramilitary activity. The journalists were held under Section 30 of the Republic's Offences Against the State Act.

It is understood the reporters and researchers were meeting leading figures connected to the Real IRA. They had been working for the BBC Northern Ireland television programme Spotlight on a programme on the recent upsurge in Real IRA terrorism.

All 11 men were questioned by detectives at three garda stations in Co Donegal, close to the border with Northern Ireland. The garda spokeswoman said that some of the 11 remained in custody today.

The BBC said yesterday that the journalists were working on a Northern Ireland current affairs investigation for the Spotlight programme and had full editorial authority under the corporation's guidelines.

"We can confirm that some of those arrested this morning in Co Donegal were BBC journalists," a BBC spokeswoman said yesterday.

"They were working on a BBC Northern Ireland current affairs investigation and had full editorial authorisation under the BBC's guidelines. The other parties present were fully aware that they were with BBC journalists."

A garda spokeswoman said yesterday: "The arrests relate to ongoing investigations into paramilitary activity.

It is understood the BBC provided legal representation for their journalists. The National Union of Journalists Irish secretary, Seamus Dooley, confirmed the men were NUJ members.

"We would be confident that the BBC would uphold the right of their journalists to protect confidential sources of information," he said.

The BBC journalists were probing Real IRA activity in the area for BBC Northern Ireland's Spotlight programme, which also produces material for Panorama.

Security forces in Northern Ireland are on high alert over fears of a Real IRA offensive to coincide with the Queen's visit to Belfast and Armagh later this week.

Intelligence reports indicate that the republican terror group has recently moved a number of newly imported, Russian made rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) into Northern Ireland.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and MI5 discovered the Real IRA had recently moved the weapons across the border from hides in the Irish Republic, they said.

Although the Queen's visit to St Patrick's Anglican cathedral in Armagh on Maundy Thursday has been known about for weeks, it is now understood that she will also visit Queen's University Belfast, where she is scheduled to meet Northern Ireland's first minister, Ian Paisley.

The extra venue on the first major royal visit since power-sharing was restored last year has created a security headache.

Last week specialist PSNI marksmen and officers from its personal protection units were ordered on to police shooting ranges in preparation for the visit.

The Real IRA was born out of a split in the mainstream Provisional movement in October 1997. It was behind the worst single atrocity of over 30 years of violence in Northern Ireland when a car Bo*mb went off in Omagh, Co Tyrone, in August 1998 killing 29 people.

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