 				Irish News
                           Provos Abduction
                             By Phelim McAleer

THE IRA abducted and interrogated a member of the Continuity Army Council IRA 
yesterday afternoon in a move which looks set to increase tension between the two 
republican organisations. 

Details about the kidnapping are sketchy but according to a number of sources in 
the Continuity Army Council (CAC) it took place in west Belfast. The man is 
believed to have had CAC weapons in his possession at the time, which were also 
taken by the IRA. 
 It is not clear if the man was involved in or travelling to a CAC attack when he was 
intercepted.The move infuriated CAC members who were planning retaliation of a 
similar nature. However the man was released yesterday evening. 

Last night a CAC source said all the organisation's members "were accounted for". 

At the moment the IRA is believed to operating a de facto ceasefire with Sinn Fein 
fighting two elections and party members in discussions with government officials 
about a new permanent ceasefire. 

However Republican Sinn Fein, which security sources say is the political wing of 
the CAC, have been bitterly critical of the peace process claiming it is a sell-out by 
Sinn Fein. 

Republican Sinn Fein split from the mainstream movement in 1986 after the 
Provisionals decided to recognise the Dail and end their abstentionist stance. 

In recent years the CAC has emerged, claiming continuity from the original IRA. 

It has been responsible for a number of bomb attacks including the explosion which 
destroyed the Killyhevlin Hotel in Enniskillen after the 1996 Drumcree crisis. 

Ironically, the CAC's most significant attack recently was a failure. 

It is thought the detonator of a bomb being transported through Belfast 10 days ago 
exploded prematurely before the bombers reached their target. The attempt to place 
a bomb in Belfast city centre when the IRA was observing a ceasefire could be seen 
as a challenge to the larger organisation. 

The fact that the device contained Semtex - explosives which are a trademark of the 
IRA and which may have may have come from disillusioned IRA members - would 
also be alarming for the Provisionals. 

Viewed alongside the INLA murder of police constable Darren Bradshaw the day 
previously, the incidents call into question the ability of the IRA to completely end 
republican violence. 