The British and NI press have been made to look rather gullible over the last week or so, with all the raving headlines and bylines about IRA hit lists and the like. Funally, here's a story from today's Guardian which begins to put things in a clearer light.
___________________________________
Special branch blamed for leaks that damage Sinn Fein
By Nicholas Watt and Rosie Cowan, Tuesday April 23, 2002; The Guardian

Disgruntled special branch officers in Northern Ireland are being blamed by the government for a series of leaks about the IRA which are designed to damage Sinn Fein in the run-up to next month's general election in the Irish republic.

One senior Whitehall source complained yesterday that special branch appeared to be "leaking like a sieve" after details of an IRA intelligence database, containing the names of leading Tories, were passed to the BBC in Northern Ireland.

Iain Duncan Smith, the Tory leader, underlined the party's fears about the new threat yesterday when he met Tony Blair for a confidential briefing on the IRA database which was uncovered by detectives at a house in a republican area of Belfast. The prime minister told Mr Duncan Smith that the list, which contained publicly available material on senior Tories from John Major's government, did not signal that the IRA ceasefire was in danger.

John Reid, the Northern Ireland secretary, said after the talks in Downing Street that the government regarded the discovery of the list as a serious development. But he made clear that ministers are more concerned with how the information has leaked out when he said: "Obviously there have been a series of leaks recently. The motive for them is unclear."

A senior Whitehall source was more forthright about the source of the leak. "Someone is leaking and it looks like special branch," the source said. "It has got worse since Ronnie Flanagan [Northern Ireland's former chief constable] left. He kept a tight lid on special branch. It appears this is being done to damage Sinn Fein in the elections in the south."

Suspicions were raised on Friday when the BBC in Belfast was passed details of the IRA database which was uncovered by detectives during a series of raids in the wake of the break-in at the headquarters of special branch in Belfast. This was followed by another leak to the Sunday Telegraph which alleged that senior IRA commanders bought Russian special forces rifles in Moscow last year. The newspaper said it was passed details by military intelligence in London.

British officials accept that the IRA has tried to rearm in recent years. But they believe that the Sunday Telegraph was provided with exaggerated details in another attempt to damage Sinn Fein.

Republicans blame the leaks on what they term as "securocrats" - disgruntled members of the security forces who want to force Sinn Fein out of government. "We wouldn't use that term, but we appear to be in that area," one official said.

Gerry Adams, the Sinn Fein president, and a senior IRA source vehemently denied that republicans were targeting politicians. However, Unionists said that the leak of the IRA database raised questions about its commitment to the peace process. David Trimble, the Ulster Unionist leader, demanded a personal explanation from Mr Adams and Martin McGuinness over allegations of IRA involvement in the raid on special branch headquarters and on the intelligence database.

Under pressure from hard liners in his party, Mr Trimble also tabled a Stormont Assembly motion, calling on Dr Reid to clarify whether the Provisionals' ceasefire is still intact. But he stopped well short of suggesting any immediate sanctions against Sinn Fein, which could threaten the power-sharing executive .

The UUP leader said continuing paramilitary activity would destroy the good effect of the latest IRA decommissioning move and the Sinn Fein leadership must realise it was "hugely in their interests" to close down all IRA operations. But he urged all sides to back his tactics rather than the "kneejerk reaction" of more extreme unionists.