Colombia Three
Encyclopedia
The Colombia Three are three individuals – Niall Connolly, James Monaghan and Martin McCauley – who are currently living in the Republic of Ireland
, having fled from Colombia
, where they were sentenced to prison terms of seventeen years for training FARC rebels.
(IRA). According to General Fernando Tapias the Colombian authorities were tipped off by "an international security organisation".
Two of the three men, Monaghan and McCauley, had arrived in Colombia
on 30 June 2001 on a flight from Belfast
, via Paris
. Niall Connolly had flown from Dublin, via Madrid
, and spent a day in Caracas
before making a rendezvous in Bogotá
. The three men then spent the next five weeks travelling through a demilitarized southern zone of Colombia, then under the control of the FARC rebels as part of peace talks with the Colombian government. They were arrested as soon as they touched down in Bogotá on a commercial flight on the Saturday night.
announced that the men had fled Colombia. On 5 August 2005, following an interview with Monaghan by RTÉ
's Charlie Bird
, it emerged that the three men had clandestinely returned to Ireland. The three men were subsequently questioned by Gardaí
but no moves have been taken in relation to extraditing them to Colombia, despite the existence of an Interpol
arrest warrant
.
but his last known address was in Newry
, County Down
. In the 1970s he was believed to have been active in the IRA, gaining the nickname 'Mortar' on account of his skill in manufacturing homemade mortars
and, according to security sources, he is head of the IRA's engineering section.
Monaghan was arrested on terrorist charges in County Donegal in the 1970s. In 1972 he was arrested in London and given a prison sentence for terrorism offenses. In 1976, he escaped from the Special Criminal Court
in Dublin following a double bomb blast. He was elected to the Sinn Féin
Ard Chomhairle in 1989. According to Alex Maskey
, he left Sinn Féin in 1989 or 1990, In 1999 he joined an organisation called Coiste na n-Iarchimí, a Republican ex-prisoners group. He is reported to be a member of the IRA Army Council
.
. He was shot aged 19 in 1982 by the Royal Ulster Constabulary
(RUC) in a barn near Lurgan
resulting from which he won a five-figure sum for damages against the RUC. He was unarmed at the time and another teenager was killed. In 1985 he was charged with weapons possession in Northern Ireland
and received a two year suspended sentence
. He was a Sinn Féin election worker during assembly elections in the Upper Bann
constituency in 1998, but according to Sinn Féin he was not a member of the party. McCauley is regarded as a leading figure in the IRA's engineering section.
, County Dublin
, and was educated at Newpark Comprehensive School
and Trinity College, Dublin
. The only one of the three who was a fluent Spanish
speaker, he has extensive experience in Latin America
having worked there for a number of years. Prior to his arrest, he was resident in Cuba
where the Cuban authorities claimed he was the Latin America representative for Sinn Féin. This was initially denied by Sinn Féin, but they later accepted that he had been working in Cuba as a part-time party representative.
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
, having fled from Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, where they were sentenced to prison terms of seventeen years for training FARC rebels.
Arrest
The three came to prominence on 11 August 2001, when they were arrested travelling on false passports at Bogotá International Airport while waiting to transfer to international flights out of the country. The Colombian authorities alleged at the time that they were training FARC rebels and were members of the Provisional Irish Republican ArmyProvisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
(IRA). According to General Fernando Tapias the Colombian authorities were tipped off by "an international security organisation".
Two of the three men, Monaghan and McCauley, had arrived in Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
on 30 June 2001 on a flight from Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, via Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. Niall Connolly had flown from Dublin, via Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, and spent a day in Caracas
Caracas
Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
before making a rendezvous in Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
. The three men then spent the next five weeks travelling through a demilitarized southern zone of Colombia, then under the control of the FARC rebels as part of peace talks with the Colombian government. They were arrested as soon as they touched down in Bogotá on a commercial flight on the Saturday night.
Prosecution
After the men's arrest at Bogota airport last August they were only charged with travelling on false passports, until 15 February 2002 when they were also charged with training FARC rebels in bomb-making. After a number of delays, including a boycott of proceedings by the three accused, the trial opened on 2 December 2002. Following a number of adjournments, the trial closed on 1 August 2003. The trial judge returned a verdict which found the three men guilty of travelling on false passports and they were given varying sentences of up to 44 months. They were found not guilty on the more serious charges relating to training FARC rebels; however, the judge ordered their release upon payment of fines equivalent to £3,800.Appeal
In accordance with Colombian law, the prosecution had the right to appeal the verdict, which it did. While awaiting appeal, the three men were free to leave jail, but were instructed by a judge to remain within the country. The appeal court overturned the original trial verdict, and convicted the men of training the rebels, sentencing them to seventeen years in jail on 16 December 2004.Return to Ireland
The day after their conviction, the Colombian Attorney GeneralAttorney General of Colombia
The Office of the Attorney General of Colombia is the Colombian institution part of the Colombian judicial branch of Government with administrative autonomy designed to prosecute offenders, investigate crimes, review judicial processes and accuse penal law infractions against judges and courts of...
announced that the men had fled Colombia. On 5 August 2005, following an interview with Monaghan by RTÉ
Raidió Teilifís Éireann
Raidió Teilifís Éireann is a semi-state company and the public service broadcaster of Ireland. It both produces programmes and broadcasts them on television, radio and the Internet. The radio service began on January 1, 1926, while regular television broadcasts began on December 31, 1961, making...
's Charlie Bird
Charlie Bird
Charles "Charlie" Bird is an Irish journalist and broadcaster. He was Chief News Correspondent with RTÉ News and Current Affairs until January 2009. He took up the role of Washington Correspondent, but prematurely returned to his earlier post in Ireland in June 2010.-Early life:Bird was born in...
, it emerged that the three men had clandestinely returned to Ireland. The three men were subsequently questioned by Gardaí
Garda Síochána
, more commonly referred to as the Gardaí , is the police force of Ireland. The service is headed by the Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Government. Its headquarters are located in the Phoenix Park in Dublin.- Terminology :...
but no moves have been taken in relation to extraditing them to Colombia, despite the existence of an Interpol
Interpol
Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
arrest warrant
Arrest warrant
An arrest warrant is a warrant issued by and on behalf of the state, which authorizes the arrest and detention of an individual.-Canada:Arrest warrants are issued by a judge or justice of the peace under the Criminal Code of Canada....
.
James Monaghan
James William Monaghan was born on 9 August 1945, and is originally from County DonegalCounty Donegal
County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...
but his last known address was in Newry
Newry
Newry is a city in Northern Ireland. The River Clanrye, which runs through the city, formed the historic border between County Armagh and County Down. It is from Belfast and from Dublin. Newry had a population of 27,433 at the 2001 Census, while Newry and Mourne Council Area had a population...
, County Down
County Down
-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...
. In the 1970s he was believed to have been active in the IRA, gaining the nickname 'Mortar' on account of his skill in manufacturing homemade mortars
Barrack buster
Barrack buster is the colloquial name given to several improvised mortars, developed in the 1990s by the engineering group of the Provisional Irish Republican Army ....
and, according to security sources, he is head of the IRA's engineering section.
Monaghan was arrested on terrorist charges in County Donegal in the 1970s. In 1972 he was arrested in London and given a prison sentence for terrorism offenses. In 1976, he escaped from the Special Criminal Court
Special Criminal Court
The Special Criminal Court is a juryless criminal court in the Republic of Ireland which tries terrorist and organized crime cases. Article 38 of the Constitution of Ireland empowers the Dáil to establish "special courts" with wide-ranging powers when "the ordinary courts are inadequate to secure...
in Dublin following a double bomb blast. He was elected to the Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
Ard Chomhairle in 1989. According to Alex Maskey
Alex Maskey
Alex Maskey is an Irish politician who was the first member of Sinn Féin to serve as Belfast's Lord Mayor. He is Sinn Féin's longest sitting councillor and is currently an MLA for South Belfast as well as being a councillor for the Laganbank area of Belfast.-Early life:Maskey was educated at St...
, he left Sinn Féin in 1989 or 1990, In 1999 he joined an organisation called Coiste na n-Iarchimí, a Republican ex-prisoners group. He is reported to be a member of the IRA Army Council
IRA Army Council
The IRA Army Council was the decision-making body of the Provisional Irish Republican Army, more commonly known as the IRA, a paramilitary group dedicated to bringing about the end of the Union between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom. The council had seven members, said by the...
.
Martin McCauley
Martin McCauley was born on 1 December 1962 in County ArmaghCounty Armagh
-History:Ancient Armagh was the territory of the Ulaid before the fourth century AD. It was ruled by the Red Branch, whose capital was Emain Macha near Armagh. The site, and subsequently the city, were named after the goddess Macha...
. He was shot aged 19 in 1982 by the Royal Ulster Constabulary
Royal Ulster Constabulary
The Royal Ulster Constabulary was the name of the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2000. Following the awarding of the George Cross in 2000, it was subsequently known as the Royal Ulster Constabulary GC. It was founded on 1 June 1922 out of the Royal Irish Constabulary...
(RUC) in a barn near Lurgan
Lurgan
Lurgan is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town is near the southern shore of Lough Neagh and in the north-eastern corner of the county. Part of the Craigavon Borough Council area, Lurgan is about 18 miles south-west of Belfast and is linked to the city by both the M1 motorway...
resulting from which he won a five-figure sum for damages against the RUC. He was unarmed at the time and another teenager was killed. In 1985 he was charged with weapons possession in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
and received a two year suspended sentence
Suspended sentence
A suspended sentence is a legal term for a judge's delaying of a defendant's serving of a sentence after they have been found guilty, in order to allow the defendant to perform a period of probation...
. He was a Sinn Féin election worker during assembly elections in the Upper Bann
Upper Bann
Upper Bann can refer to:*Upper Bann *Upper Bann...
constituency in 1998, but according to Sinn Féin he was not a member of the party. McCauley is regarded as a leading figure in the IRA's engineering section.
Niall Connolly
Niall Connolly was born on 5 December 1964 in GlenagearyGlenageary
Glenageary is an area in the suburbs of south County Dublin, Ireland, part of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County.While there is no officially defined boundary, it is surrounded by the areas of Sallynoggin, Dalkey, Dun Laoghaire, Glasthule and Johnstown...
, County Dublin
County Dublin
County Dublin is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Dublin Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Dublin which is the capital of Ireland. County Dublin was one of the first of the parts of Ireland to be shired by King John of England following the...
, and was educated at Newpark Comprehensive School
Newpark Comprehensive School
Newpark Comprehensive School is a non-fee paying, co-educational comprehensive secondary school under Church of Ireland management, located on Newtown Park Avenue in Blackrock, County Dublin, Ireland....
and Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
. The only one of the three who was a fluent Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
speaker, he has extensive experience in Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
having worked there for a number of years. Prior to his arrest, he was resident in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
where the Cuban authorities claimed he was the Latin America representative for Sinn Féin. This was initially denied by Sinn Féin, but they later accepted that he had been working in Cuba as a part-time party representative.