Real IRA rift exposed by prisoners' scathing attack

A deep rift has opened within the ranks of the Real IRA – the group that killed 29 people in the 1998 Omagh bombing – leading to unconfirmed reports that the organisation may disband.

Prisoners aligned with the organisation in Portlaoise prison in the Irish Republic issued a scathing condemnation of their leaders at the weekend, accusing them of being more motivated by money than politics.

In an interview with The Independent, meanwhile, the Sinn Fein president, Gerry Adams, spoke of "palpable anger" and grave disappointment in republican ranks since Tony Blair's call for the IRA to disband to save the Good Friday Agreement.

The Portlaoise prisoners called on the Real IRA "Army Council" to stand down "with ignominy". In republican terms this is fighting talk, of a kind which has in the past led to lethal gunplay between competing factions.

The question is whether the organisation's leadership will agree to step down or will seek to continue in charge of a group which, though small, has recently been disrupted by a complex web of factional and personal disagreements.

The Real IRA itself emerged from a split. Several dozen of its members are held in Portlaoise, including its founder and one-time leader, Michael McKevitt, who is awaiting trial on a charge of directing terrorism. Mr McKevitt founded the Real IRA in 1997 in protest against the mainstream IRA's support for the peace process and political activity. His case comes up next year, with the key witness against him an American man who was recruited as an undercover agent by the FBI.

Recent court proceedings in Dublin were told that, according to the agent, David Rupert, Mr McKevitt mentioned the possibility of assassinating Tony Blair. The court was told by the Republic's head of police intelligence that the Real IRA had been trying to track down and kill Mr Rupert.

For some weeks there have been reports of disagreements among the Portlaoise prisoners, with suspicions among hardliners that Mr McKevitt might be prepared to help shut down the Real IRA. Two months ago a Sinn Fein politician in Co Down accused Real IRA members of running extortion rackets. Echoing the criticisms made by the Portlaoise prisoners, he added: "These people have no support. They are criminals and are hiding behind the name of republicans."

Security and political sources say moves to wind down security measures, a process known as normalisation, have been made more difficult by the Real IRA's continuing campaign.