Published 4/29/2002
Of those IRA members arrested, Mr. Monaghan is a key figure in the IRA's engineering department — which designs mortars, rockets and homemade bombs. Known to his colleagues as "Mortar Monaghan," British authorities said he designed the IRA's homemade mortar from a 1974 prototype known as the Mark I to the sophisticated Mark 18 Mortar, known as the "barracks buster."
Mr. Monaghan, 55, has been identified as a former member of the Executive Council of Sinn Fein. He was convicted in 1971 for possession of explosives and conspiracy and served three years in prison. Colombian authorities said he entered that country in July 2001 and less than a week later, traveled with Mr. Connolly and Mr. McCauley to an FARC-controlled area.
Mr. Connolly, 36, is considered one of the best weapons experts in the IRA and is believed to have first made contact with the FARC five years ago through ETA, the Basque terrorist group that specializes in bombings and assassinations of Spanish government officials.
Mr. McCauley, 38, is believed to be an expert in the production of weapons and mortars.
He served two years after his 1985 conviction in the illegal possession of firearms.
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