Sinn Fein official charged at special court sitting

A Sinn Fein official arrested on Friday has been charged with having information likely to be of use to terrorists at a special sitting of Belfast Magistrates Court last night.

The charges were brought following police raids on Sinn Fein's assembly offices in Stormont and houses across north and west Belfast on Friday morning. The operation, which involved up to 200 officers, was part of investigations into alleged republican terrorist activity.

Denis Donaldson, Sinn Fein's head of administration at Stormont, was charged with five counts of having information likely to be of use to terrorists.

It was reported that documents recovered from his home allegedly held the personal details of several members of the security forces, including those of the general officer commanding armed forces in Northern Ireland, Lieutenant-General Alistair Irwin.

Documents also recovered during the raids are alleged to hold the details of known loyalists, of one serving police officer and a detailed sketch of Castle Buildings – the home of the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) which contains the office of the Secretary of State.

Mr Donaldson, a former IRA prisoner who had stood for Sinn Fein in East Belfast at the 1983 parliamentary election, denies the charges. He was remanded in custody to appear in court via video link this Friday.

A 46-year-old woman, who also appeared at Laganside on a charge of having a laptop which could be of use to terrorists and having the personal details of Prison Service employees, was also remanded in custody until Friday.

Two other men were still being questioned last night in relation to raids. One of the men is a former NIO employee who is alleged to have photocopied sensitive departmental documents and communications between the Prime Minister and the Northern Ireland Secretary.

The political fallout has been all-embracing with claim and counter-claim emanating from the British and Irish governments and devolved representatives.

The UUP leader David Trimble has not only called on Sinn Fein to offer an explanation but questioned the competence of the NIO – describing the alleged existence of an IRA spy in the department as "ten times worse than what happened at Watergate".

Sinn Fein has responded angrily to the charges, cataloguing as legion the "anti-Sinn Fein" agenda held by the state and its agencies. North Belfast assembly member Gerry Kelly dismissed the PSNI raids as "politically motivated" and part of a wider media campaign to "demonise republicans" directed by shadowy British "securocrats".

First Minister David Trimble is expected to meet with Prime Minister Tony Blair tomorrow morning – Mr Blair will then meet with Taoiseach Bertie Ahern to discuss the crisis.

(GMcG)