Unionist Voice can exclusively reveal that OTR recipient Eibhlin Glenholmes has been identified as a key player in an international arms deal with Spanish terror organisation, ETA. The weapons were later used in the attempted murder of the then Spanish Government President.
Crucially the international arms deal took place in 1999, only a year before the British Government processed an OTR amnesty letter for Glenholmes, and AFTER the signing of the Belfast Agreement.
A Spanish newspaper has revealed the identity of Glenholmes in relation to the deal.
She is pictured here, in Spain, alongside IRA bomb maker James Monaghan on route to a meeting with ETA representatives.
Monaghan was later arrested in Colombia as part of an IRA operation. Sinn Fein denied IRA involvement at the time, but the revelation that such a prominent Sinn Fein member as Eibhlin Glenholmes was involved in arms dealing will raises serious questions for the Republican Party.
On March 8, 1999, ETA members held a meeting in Paris with the two IRA representatives to close a international arms deal. It was agreed the IRA would sell the Spanish terror group two Russian-made anti aircraft missiles. These weapons would later be used in the attempted murder of the then Spanish Governmenr President, José María Aznar.
On the following day, March 9, 1999, the ETA members who had been present at the meeting were arrested. Eibhlin Glenholmes and James Monaghan escaped undetected.
The identity of Glenholmes has been revealed in a recently published Spanish booked titled ‘Blood, Sweat and Peace. The Civil guard against ETA’.
According to the detailed book, Glenholmes and Monaghan attended a meeting the Printannia Hotel in Paris. It was there they met with José Javier Arizkuren Ruiz, and Mikel Zubimendi, the two ETA members who closed the operation. The first of them was at that time the military leader of ETA.
In ETA documents it is revealed that the IRA informed their Spanish terror counterparts that they intended to sell some of their weapons, in order to make money for peace.
The documents further revealed that the IRA representatives were codenamed ‘The Gorris’.
Astonishingly, the British Intelligence services identified Glenholmes for their Spanish counterparts, yet still proceeded to process her OTR letter, despite her involvement in an international arms deal that led to the attempted murder of a Spanish Government President.
The revelations will cause serious problems for Sinn Fein, especially during a time when they are relying heavily on European support.
The fact that a senior member of Sinn Fein was involved, on behalf of the IRA, in high level international arms deals in the era of the ‘peace process’ will alarm many people.
However, it will be a matter of much deeper concern that the weapons sold to ETA were used in the attempted murder of the then Spanish Government President. What will the EU 27 make of this?
The link to the Spanish newspaper report can be found here
http://www.diariovasco.com/politica/doble-vida-irlandesa-20171120005256-ntvo.html