May 1, 2004 Storm over Arrest of US Sinn Fein Man
PSNI under fire in wake of release...

By Sean O'Driscoll

THE Police Service of Northern Ireland were "utterly outrageous" in arresting a leading member of Sinn Fein's US wing for questioning about a 1983 murder, the co-chair of the US Congress's Ireland Committee has said.

Congressman Joe Crowley also claimed personal credit for helping to bring about the release of Sean Mackin, a prominent member of the US group Friends of Sinn Fein and a former member of the INLA's political wing, the Irish Republican Socialist Party.

Mackin was arrested on Good Friday during a trip back to Belfast and questioned about the murder of RUC reservist Colin Carson outside Cookstown RUC station. Mackin, who won a landmark political asylum case in the US in 1992, was released on Saturday without charge.

The US State Department said that it was monitoring the arrest closely from Washington and Belfast and that the head of the Belfast consulate had visited Mackin when he was in custody.

Mackin's arrest has led to a huge outburst of protest from Irish-American Congressmen and has dominated the Irish-American Press. New York Congressman, Eliot Engel, said that he would be asking the US State Department to investigate the arrest.

On Wednesday, Eric Green, a special assistant to the policy planning section of the State Department said that the head of the US counsulate in Belfast had visited Mackin while he was being held.

He said the US government became involved "to ensure that he [Mackin] was treated humanely and given timely access to legal counsel. Mr Mackin did not complain of ill treatment and was allowed to contact his lawyer. He had legal representation during his questioning," he said.

Mr Green said that in recent days, the US envoy to Northern Ireland, Mitchell Reiss, had been in telephone contact with the acting chief constable of the PSNI while Hugh Orde was out of the country.

"He will continue to follow this case closely to ensure that Mr Mackin's rights are fully preserved," he said.

Congressman Crowley's office issued a Press release that claims the New York Congressman helped to have Mackin released.

"Due to the work of Congressman Crowley working with the US Consulate in Belfast and other elected officials in the United States, on April 10 Sean Mackin was released," the statement says.

Congressman Crowley also said that Mackin's successful asylum claim in 1992 was vindicated by the "harassment and detainment" inflicted by the PSNI on Good Friday.