Court hears 'undercover fees'

Michael McKevitt denies all the charges

The main prosecution witness in the case against the alleged Real IRA leader has so far received $1.5m from the FBI and MI5 for his undercover work, a court in Dublin has heard.

Michael McKevitt is the first person to appear at Dublin's Special Criminal Court charged with directing terrorism.

The offence was one of a range of measures introduced by the Irish Government in the wake of the Omagh bombing in 1998.

The County Louth businessman is also facing the charge of membership of an illegal organisation. He denies all the charges.

The 53-year-old faces a possible life sentence if he is eventually found guilty.

The opening of the trial has been dominated by legal argument, which is expected to last two days.

Lawrence Rush, whose wife Libby died in the Omagh bombing, shouted "What about Omagh?" shortly after Mr McKevitt denied the charges.

The presiding judge said on Wednesday there should be no interruptions in his court.

Infiltrated

The court heard the main prosecution witness, David Rupert, an American businessmen and an MI5 and FBI agent, has received the equivalent of £745,000.

Counsel for the prosecution, George Bermingham, described Mr Rupert as a "figure of remarkable courage," who was "neither an accomplice nor supergrass".

Mr Bermingham said Mr Rupert had infiltrated the dissident republican movement at the FBI's request and met Mr McKevitt through Londonderry republican Michael Donnelly.

The prosecution said Mr McKevitt told the FBI agent that the Real IRA had made the Omagh bomb but that the Continuity IRA had chosen the location.

Mr Bermingham also said the accused feared conflict with the Provisional IRA and sought information on leading figures in the organisation, including details about Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams' holiday home.

The prosecution said a proposal by Michael Donnelly to murder an RUC officer in Derry was overruled by Mr McKevitt for not being "spectacular" enough.

He said car bombs had to be authorised by Mr McKevitt himself.

Mr Bermingham also said Mr Rupert had been asked to get a computer for Mr McKevitt's wife Bernadette, as "the future lay in cyber terrorism".

The FBI agent did this, installing it himself.

Mr Rupert is expected to start giving evidence on Monday.

Hard-of-hearing

Defence lawyers said they would object if two journalists who are writing a book with Mr Rupert were allowed to sit where they could see defence notes.

But the judges did not have to rule on the matter as neither of the two was in court.

The three judges in the non-jury court also agreed to allow Michael McKevitt to sit beside his lawyers because he is hard of hearing.

The trial is expected to last for up to six weeks.

Mr McKevitt is one of five people the relatives of the victims of the Omagh bombing are taking a separate civil action against in Northern Ireland.

The Real IRA attack on 15 August 1998 killed 29 people, including a woman who was seven months pregnant with twins.

The Real IRA was formed after a split within the mainstream IRA. The dissident group is opposed to the Northern Ireland peace process.