GERRY ADAMS, the Sinn Fein president, admitted yesterday that he may be wrong to believe the IRA’s insistence that it did not commit the UK’s biggest bank robbery.

Mr Adams’s remark, made on Spanish radio, was interpreted as a possible first step towards finding a way out of the impasse created by the alleged IRA raid on the Northern Bank in Belfast on December 20, when £26.5 million was stolen.

The British and Irish Governments, the head of the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the Independent Monitoring Commission, which monitors paramilitary activity, have all pointed the finger at the IRA, despite its denials.

They have also said that senior Sinn Fein figures were aware of the robbery plans even as a political deal was on the verge of agreement under which the Provisionals would destroy all their weapons in return for power-sharing with the Democratic Unionists.

Mr Adams, who was promoting the Spanish-language version of a book of memoirs, told Cadena Ser Radio: “No one knows who robbed the bank. An opinion has been given that the IRA was involved. The IRA has said it was not involved and I believe it. Now maybe I’m wrong, but I believe it. What I can say categorically is that Sinn Fein was not involved. So the difficulty is that it has added to the bad atmosphere. It remains my view that as we get through the elections and come back to deal with the issues, that the current difficulties will not be allowed to prevent forward movement.”

It was the first time that Mr Adams has given ground over the bank raid and suggests that he may be planning a post-election solution.

Hardline Unionists seized upon the comments as evidence of a possible change of strategy by republicans. Jeffrey Donaldson, a Democratic Unionist MP, said: “It’s the first chink. There’s no doubt that Sinn Fein is under enormous pressure and maybe it is coming round to an acknowledgement of IRA involvement.”

But David Trimble, the Ulster Unionist leader, was reluctant to attach too much significance to the remarks. He said: “Maybe it will amount to something but I wouldn’t jump to conclusions on this at all.”

Meanwhile Sinn Fein is facing condemnation after the IRA was accused of murdering a Roman Catholic man in a pub brawl. Last night the IRA moved to distance itself from the men involved as the US Government urged Sinn Fein to guarantee the safety of anyone who helps a police investigation. President Bush’s representative in Belfast said that witnesses should be able to co-operate with the investigation free from intimidation.

In its statement, the IRA said that it had not been involved in the killing of Robert McCartney, 33, but added: “Those who were involved must take responsibility for their own actions which run contrary to republican ideals.”

The likeliest course of action over the killing would be a statement from the IRA saying that after an internal investigation it had discovered a “lapse in the chain of command” and that the killing had been committed by members without the leadership’s authorisation.

TROUBLED WORDS BEFORE CONCESSION

January 6, 2005: “Raids, house searches and confiscation of property directed at republican activists have been . . . aimed at pointing the finger of guilt at republicans”

January 13: “The IRA has said it did not do it. In my opinion the IRA is telling the truth . . . There are lots of disgruntled former RUC officers who could have done it”

January 19: Describes the claim that he and Martin McGuinness allegedly knew about the raid in advance as “deeply offensive”

January 23: Singles out Bertie Ahern for criticism after the Irish premier claims that the Sinn Fein leadership sanctioned the raid. “The Taoiseach will have to explain his comments”

February 10: Says that if the allegations were true Mr Ahern should have him and Martin McGuinness arrested

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