Pull the other one, it's got bells on it...and they'll be telling us Adams and McGuinness are not in Army Council next....
IRA denies £22m bank raid
(Filed: 23/12/2004)
The IRA has denied any involvement in the £22 million Northern Bank raid in which the families of two employees were taken hostage.
A senior republican source claimed: "We are dismissing any suggestion or allegation that we were involved."
A burnt out car is being investigated in connection with the raid
The denial came a day after police refused to rule out paramilitary involvement in Monday's heist in Belfast city centre with security sources pointing the finger at the Provisional IRA.
They said the IRA's head of intelligence and one of his chief cohorts may have been involved based on communication intercepts during the 24 hours leading up to the robbery.
Mobile phone conversations were said to have pointed directly at Provisional involvement and at least one IRA man's name was thought to have been connected to the robbery team, which numbered up to 30.
Officers have identified five gangs capable of carrying out such a robbery.
The IRA's denial came as police admitted they were told about men acting suspiciously outside the Northern Bank during the robbery.
A traffic warden informed police of a white van parked in a side street beside the bank and of two men acting suspiciously.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland confirmed today they had received the report and that it had been "acted on".
A spokesman said it was not confirmed the white van spotted by the warden was the same white box van - registration RCZ 6632 - used by the gang in the robbery.
Police and bank officials are preparing to circulate the serial numbers of about £12 million in new Northern Bank notes taken in the raid, which should make the money virtually useless to the gang.
They are also examining CCTV footage taken in and around the bank, and carrying out forensic tests on a burnt-out car found in a nearby forest.
The car is believed to belong to a relative of one of the employees targeted, and to have been set on fire after she was dumped in the woods. The woman managed to escape and raise the alarm.