Was Carrigans PO raid driver an informer?

Donegal Labour councillor Frank McBrearty Jnr has written to Superintendent Vincent O'Brien in Letterkenny asking if garda or police in Northern Ireland have interviewed the man whose face, he claims, is clearly visible in CCTV footage of the armed raid of February 2009.

Over 100,000 euro was taken in the heist when three masked men burst into the post office and held postmistress Bernie Moore at gunpoint. Reports in the southern media have suggested police believe the robbery to have been the work of the Continuity IRA.

Detectives have recovered the getaway vehicle and guns used in the raid and have at their disposal CCTV tapes of the incident.

In a letter to the garda last month Mr McBrearty wrote: "The CCTV footage catches the driver of the getaway van quite clearly and either the PSNI or the garda at this stage must know who he is, as he has not hidden his identity from the CCTV footage.

"Is the driver of the getaway van an informer?" he asked. "If so, has he been interviewed and has Crime and Security collated C77s from this informant, if he is one?"

The reference to C77s is to internal police documentation relating to intelligence gleaned from informants.

Responding to Mr McBrearty, Superintendent O'Brien advised that "the getaway vehicle and guns used in the robbery have been recovered." He also stated that "a number of suspects have been identified".

The local police chief stated: "The garda investigation file contains information relating to individuals who made statements to the garda, in the express or implied understanding that they are made solely for the investigation of this specific incident and will be treated in confidence."