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| Middle East |
| N.Irishman Leaves Israeli Prison Under Escort |
| 2003-07-16 |
| A Northern Irishman left an Israeli prison in a police car Wednesday after authorities failed to uncover evidence he was training Palestinian militants in bomb-making, witnesses said. An Israeli security source said John Morgan was expected to be deported shortly. Witnesses said the police car carrying him took him straight to Tel Aviv’s Ben-Gurion airport with its sirens wailing. Israel thought Morgan, whom they arrested at an army checkpoint in the West Bank Saturday, was a master bombmaker and questioned him about contacts with Palestinian militants. But friends of Morgan, known in Belfast as Sean O Muireagain, said he was a pro-Palestinian activist with no links to militants who launched an uprising against Israeli occupation in September 2000. How can you be a good pro-Palestinian activist without links to militants? Kathleen Connell, secretary of the Belfast branch of the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign, identified Morgan as a member of the group and said he was in the Middle East to make contacts for a school-twinning project. Belfast and Palestinian schools have a lot of the same after school activities, throwing rocks at soldiers, weapons training and bomb making 101. "No firm evidence was found that he had links to terrorists," an Israeli security source said earlier. "But we’re kicking him out of the country anyway, just to be on the safe side." |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #2 Morgan needs a catapult deportation, though Chuck's idea of an interview with the Special Branch on his way home is an excellent idea, too. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2003-7-16 2:16:07 PM |
| #1 I wonder if he's being deported to England, where the Special Branch might want to have a word with him. |
| Posted by: Chuck 2003-7-16 10:46:19 AM |