Bogotá
A judge this week acquitted three suspected Irish Republican Army members of charges that they showed Colombian rebels how to make better bombs. The men—James Monaghan, Niall Connolly, and Martin McCauley—were arrested three years ago, leaving a rebel stronghold in the jungle. They maintained they were only there “to get to know the people, the natural beauty, and the peace process.” The arrests sparked accusations that the IRA was exporting violence, but Irish politicians and other supporters rallied to their side. The men were convicted of traveling with false passports, but their sentences were shorter than the time already spent in jail, so the judge ordered them freed once they had paid $6,500 fines. Prosecutors said they would appeal.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Trade war with China threatens U.S. economyFeature Trump's tariff battle with China is hitting U.S. businesses hard and raising fears of a global recession
-
Corruption: The road to crony capitalismFeature Trump's tariff pause sent the stock market soaring — was it insider trading?
-
China Shock 2.0Feature An overflow of Chinese goods is flooding the global market. Tariffs won’t stop it.
