Did a mole betray murdered Ulster PC? Hunt for Republican informant inside Police Service of Northern Ireland
It is feared that the moles are being used to target officers in the Police Service of Northern Ireland for terrorist attacks.
The claim came as all sectors of the community were called to assist in the inquiry into the murder of newly-qualified Roman Catholic constable Ronan Kerr, 25.
He was killed by a bomb under his car in Omagh on Saturday afternoon.
Senior politicians, including former IRA figure Martin McGuinness, now deputy first minister in Belfast for Sinn Fein, united yesterday to condemn the attack.
Defeating the dissident republicans unhappy at Sinn Fein’s cooperation in the peace process is given added urgency by claims that one terror group, Oglaigh na hEirerann (ONH), suspected of responsibility for PC Kerr’s murder, could plot to disrupt the Queen’s historic visit to the Irish Republic next month, and even the Royal Wedding in London.
Officers investigating PC Kerr’s death insisted that it remained possible for terrorists to target police victims without inside information.
But a former member of what used to be known as the Royal Ulster Constabulary claimed that in the rush to boost Catholic numbers in the PSNI – up from ten per cent to almost a third in recent years – relaxed vetting rules allowed moles in.
The source claimed the PSNI’s C3 Intelligence Branch was working with MI5 to find dissident sleepers inside the force – focusing on a handful of serving officers.
One is said to have been found socialising with hardened republicans during an unrelated police raid, although he insisted they were simply childhood friends unaware of his new job.
There is also suspicion against a female officer with family links to a convicted republican terrorist.
The ex-RUC man, who cannot be named for security reasons, said: ‘In the rush to meet the recommendations on “50-50” recruitment in order to increase Catholic membership the risks have increased.’
The source said: ‘In the old days, when Special Branch did the vetting of applicants, there was no chance that anyone fishy would have got through application never mind training.
’But in the rush to meet the recommendations on “50-50” recruitment in order to increase Catholic membership the risks have increased.’
He said there was evidence that terrorists have had some access to police data on serving and former security force members and their families and their movements – most notably in high level threat warnings which do not make the headlines.
At a press conference at Omagh police station yesterday afternoon, Det Supt Raymond Murray said forensic analysis suggested the bomb could have used more than 1lb of explosive.
He said that it was housed in a grey plastic container the size of a lunch box. It was probably activated by a ‘tilt switch’, detonating as soon as the car moved.
Officers believe the bomb that killed PC Kerr could have been placed any time between 1am on Friday morning and when the blast shook the small housing development on Saturday afternoon.
Det Supt Murray said: ‘Amongst ordinary people living ordinary, decent lives, were terrorists.’
PC Kerr lived with two male friends who are not policemen, he added, contrary to earlier suggestions.
And he dismissed suggestions there was any evidence the bomb contained Semtex famously sent to Ulster by Libyan dictator Colonel Gadaffi.
Earlier, Northern ireland’s deputy first minister Mr McGuinness stood shoulder to shoulder with the region’s chief constable Matt Baggott, First Minister Peter Robinson as he condemned PC Kerr’s killers.
‘They are involved in a useless war against peace,’ he said at Stormont.
‘They are enemies of the peace, they are the enemies of the people of Ireland.’
