A former IRA bomber arrested on suspicion of money-laundering in Spain has cut all ties with the Provos.
Donna Maguire, once the most wanted female terrorist in Europe, was detained alongside her husband Leonard 'Bap' Hardy in Malaga last week over the alleged scam which some sources are linking to a cigarette smuggling operation.
A Spanish man was also arrested. Republicans along the border claim that Maguire isn't involved in any political activity. "She doesn't even canvass for Sinn Féin at election time," a source said.
"As far as I'm aware, she has no ties with the Provisional movement. She isn't involved with any dissident group either. She keeps a low profile. They're a very close, secretive family. They keep everything tight."
Maguire, 47, lives an extremely comfortable life with her husband, Leonard 'Bap' Hardy, 53, and their four children in Mount Pleasant, near Ravensdale, Co Louth. The children go to school north of the border.
The couple married in 1996. They were both part of an IRA unit which carried out a series of shootings and bombings across Europe.
Maguire and Hardy were convicted of the attempted murder of British soldiers at Osnabruck military base in Germany in 1989.
Despite his wife's higher profile, Hardy has a more extensive history of IRA involvement, working closely with Sean Hughes, the South Armagh/North Louth commander known as 'the Surgeon'.
Police intelligence reports lodged with the Smithwick Tribunal named Hardy as one of the IRA men involved in the March 1989 double murder of RUC officers Harry Breen and Bob Buchanan.
Later that year, Maguire and Hardy travelled to Europe as part of an IRA unit targeting British soldiers and army bases in Germany and Holland.
Four years ago, an Australian film crew confronted Maguire about the murder of two Australian tourists in Holland in 1990.
Lawyers Stephan Melrose, 24 and Nick Spanos, 28, were shot dead in Roermond by an IRA unit who recklessly mistook them for British soldiers because they were tall, well-built and had short hair.
Maguire was arrested four weeks later in a forest near the Belgian-Dutch border after a farmer heard shots and uncovered an arms cache.
Maguire and three men were charged with the double murder. Despite what the prosecution believed was a strong case, Maguire and two of the men were acquitted; the third man had his conviction overturned on appeal.
In 2010, an Australian film crew confronted Maguire about the attack as she waited for her children to come out of school in Newry.
"I asked her if she'd anything to say about the murder of two innocent Australians in Holland," said journalist Ross Coulthart. "She said nothing.
"I told her we had assurances from the Dutch prosecutor that she could never be prosecuted again and this was an opportunity for her to tell her story but she didn't reply.
"She looked very shocked to see our film crew. I asked her if she ever thought her IRA past would catch up with her but she said nothing."
In 1996, Maguire received £13,500 compensation for a 1985 incident in which she tripped on a broken paving stone in Newry. She told the court: "I've had to give up dancing, jogging, and swimming because the ankle swells up. I can't wear high heels."
In 2000, the IRA shot Maguire's brother Malachy in a 'punishment' attack in south Armagh. He was dragged from his car in Meigh, beaten with iron bars, then shot in the wrists and ankles.
The shooting was a warning to the community that even those from well-connected republican families were not immune to IRA 'justice'.
Leonard Hardy avoided jail last year after settling a €280,000 tax bill with the Inland Revenue and pleading guilty to eight counts of failing to file tax returns.
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that Hardy was "integral" to the Good Friday Agreement. His defence counsel claimed that he had helped to maintain the peace process through "fragile periods".
Judge Mary Ellen Ring noted that Hardy was on legal aid with the DPP's consent.. She said it was "a conundrum" how he was able to settle with the revenue for such large sums but was unable to pay his own legal costs.
Since the IRA ceasefire, Hardy has been involved in numerous criminal rackets. Sources said he was no longer collaborated with any republican paramilitary groups but ran these scams independently.
