Police 'to blame IRA over raid'

About £22m was stolen from the bank on 20 December

The IRA looks set to be blamed for the £22m bank raid in Belfast when Chief Constable Hugh Orde meets Policing Board members, the BBC has learned.

Mr Orde is due to brief senior members of the board about the raid on Friday.

It comes amid growing calls for him to publicly state if the IRA was involved in the robbery at the Northern Bank headquarters on 20 December.

Homes in republican areas of Belfast have been searched, but republicans have said the IRA was not involved.

'Political fallout'

BBC Northern Ireland Security Editor Brian Rowan said: "We have to wait for the official line... but there is a growing sense that when he puts a label on this robbery that he (Hugh Orde) will point towards the IRA."

He added that if Mr Orde did this, there would not be a long wait for the "political fallout".

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams said he would not countenance any attempt to "demonise and criminalise" his party.

He said: "The two governments need to think long and hard about whose agenda is being served by accusations, mainly from the DUP, attacking Sinn Fein and seeking to link our party to allegations of IRA involvement in the Northern Bank robbery.

"From the beginning I held the view that the IRA was not involved in that robbery. The IRA has said it wasn't involved. I believe that to be the case."

Tony Blair was asked about the £22m bank raid

Mr Adams said that British "securocrats" were behind a "contrivance aimed at pointing the finger of guilt at republicans - even in the absence of any evidence".

Earlier, Prime Minister Tony Blair said he would not prejudge the result of police inquiries into the raid.

However, Mr Blair said groups linked to political parties must renounce terrorism and cease criminal activity.

He made the comments during a news conference at 10 Downing Street, after he was asked about suspected IRA involvement in the robbery.

"We have to wait for the authorities to make their judgement on this," he said.

"But be under no misunderstanding at all, there can be absolutely no place, not merely for terrorist activity, but for criminal activity of any sort by people associated with a political party.

'Complete prohibition"

"There is no way that this thing is going to work or that other political parties will accept such a thing, rightly.

"We will have to wait and see what happens, but the ban on terrorist activity includes a complete prohibition on criminal activity as well."

Mr Blair's comments come a day after DUP deputy leader Peter Robinson called on the chief constable to "come clean" over speculation about IRA involvement in the raid.

Mr Robinson said the consequences of mainstream IRA involvement would be "far reaching".