International criminal �behind IRA bank raid� http://www.sundayherald.com/47026 Revealed: former British soldier known as �The Striker� suspected of masterminding �26m robbery By Neil Mackay <http://www.sundayherald.com/np/Neil-Mackay.shtml> , Investigations Editor A MAVERICK international criminal with close connections to Irish republican terrorists is suspected of being one of the key brains behind the audacious �26 million bank robbery in Belfast which has been blamed on the IRA. The English-born man in his early 30s is known as �The Striker�. During the Balkan wars of the early 1990s he fought in international brigades on the side of Croatia. He is of Irish descent and has also been connected with arms deals for the Real IRA. His grandfather was one of the heroes of the 1916 Easter rising. Although The Striker has a long-standing association with the Provisional IRA, his current connections to the Real IRA have now confused theories about who was behind the December bank raid. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has categorically blamed the Provisional IRA. Sinn Fein, the political wing of the Provisional IRA, has denied the allegations. The involvement of a Real IRA sympathiser would throw into doubt the involvement of the Provisionals. The Real IRA broke away from the Provisionals in 1997, refusing to be involved with the peace process or the republican ceasefire. Sources close to both the IRA and the British security forces say that they believe The Striker was involved in the robbery, however they refused to comment on what his involvement would mean to allegations that the IRA carried out the heist. One British intelligence source said that The Striker was �non-aligned� to any terrorist organisation, but that his skills were sought after by both the Provos and the Reals. The source added: �The Provos have called him in from time to time for �specialist jobs�.� The Striker is seen as a hero by many Croatians for the part he played in the Balkan wars, where he served with Croatian paramilitaries. The Striker�s most infamous act came when he allegedly sprang from jail the notorious Croatian military commander, General Ante Gotovina. Gotovina is wanted by The Hague for war crimes. The US government has put a �2.5 million bounty on him. After a stay in Sicily with the Mafia, rumours now abound that Gotovina has been helped by The Striker, along with Real IRA operatives, to reach Ireland. The Striker is close to Italian mobsters, and was schooled by Valerio Viccei, the mastermind of the 1987 Knightsbridge safe deposit robbery which netted an estimated �62m. The Striker has also been identified as one of the Real IRA�s key arms fixers in Croatia. The Sunday Herald has previously exposed the huge gun-running operations by the Real IRA in Croatia, and revealed that a Croatian general, Ivan Andabak, was behind the multi-million pound arms deals. Perhaps the most astonishing claim about The Striker�s activities is that it was he who fired a rocket-propelled grenade � smuggled in from Croatia � at MI6�s headquarters in London. The rocket attack was also a Real IRA operation. The Striker is a former British soldier. British security sources say that capturing him is now one of the UK security services� highest priorities. The raid on Northern Bank, which The Striker is said to be behind, has thrown the brittle Ulster peace process into disarray. Chief constable Hugh Orde of the PSNI said on Friday that the IRA was behind the heist at the bank�s Belfast head office on December 20 when robbers netted �26.5m. No arrests have so far been made and none of the money recovered, but a number of homes in republican areas have been raided as police investigate one of the biggest robberies in British history. After Orde blamed the IRA, Downing Street said Prime Minister Tony Blair believed that the political institutions of Northern Ireland could only be restored once there was a �complete end� to all activity by para militaries, including criminal activity. Blair takes the allegations �extremely seriously�, Number 10 said. Irish premier Bertie Ahern said that trust and confidence in the peace process had been damaged, adding: �An operation of this magnitude � has obviously been planned at a stage when I was in negotiations with those that would know the leadership of the Provisional movement.� Martin Mc Guinness of Sinn Fein said Orde�s claims were �nothing but politically biased allegations�. The IRA has also strongly denied any involvement. However, DUP leader the Rev Ian Paisley is to meet Blair this week to discuss the ramifications of IRA involvement. Paisley wants the government to create a devolved Ulster executive without Sinn Fein. He said republicans had now �done a deed that has put them outside the present political initiative�. Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble said: �Gerry Adams [Sinn Fein leader] has betrayed the Prime Minister personally.� He called on Blair to exclude Sinn Fein from any Northern Ireland assembly. Paul Murphy, the Northern Ireland secretary, now says that any deal to restore devolution is unrealistic until after the general election. Murphy said the IRA�s alleged involvement in the raid �offended the principles� of the Good Friday Agreement. �It is very difficult to see where we go in the immediate future,� he said, adding that he believed there was �weighty evidence� of IRA involvement. 09 January 2005 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------ Yahoo! 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