Northern Ireland secretary aware of Stormontgate ‘for months’, records reveal
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The Northern Ireland secretary knew for “some months” ahead of a hugely controversial police raid at Sinn Fein’s offices, according to newly unsealed records. On October 4 2002, a large number of PSNI officers raided the Sinn Fein offices at Stormont and unmasked what was claimed to be a republican spy ring at the heart of government. A number of houses were also raided.
The information uncovered throughout the raids was said to have contained sensitive information which could have been used for the targeting of prison and police officers, as well as politicians and civil servants. What became known as Stormontgate led to the suspension of devolution and the reintroduction of direct rule when then-first minister and UUP leader David Trimble threatened to collapse the administration.
Minutes from a phone call between then-Northern Ireland secretary John Reid and Ireland’s foreign affairs minister Brian Cowen on the day of the Stormontgate raid are among those recently unsealed by Ireland’s Government. Mr Reid is said to have told Mr Cowen that he was aware of the issue for some months, and that it had been a factor in a speech he gave on July 24 when he told the House of Commons that the UK government would take new measures on ceasefire breaches, including whether organisations were engaged in training, acquiring weapons – or targeting.
At that time, the secretary of state also indicated to the House that he would be prepared to introduce a motion in the Northern Ireland Assembly to exclude a party associated with a paramilitary organisation that was in breach of the agreement from the executive.
