Stolen Art Watch, Gardner Art Heist, Vermeer's Concert, Whitey Bulger, Topic of Chatter !!

Whitey Bulger, aged 80 on Sept 3rd 2009, FBI latest sketch, above.

Art Hostage has been listening to the chatter recently and although there has not been much to report, there is a little bit I thought I would share.

Information has been forthcoming about the "Gardner paintings being held in Washington"

Followed by "Vermeer recovered" coming from Seattle Washington state.

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Allegedly, a Rembrandt has been recovered in Upstate New York ???

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Enquires continue from Sydney, Australia about the history of the Degas' "La Sortie Du Pelage"

Enquires from the Middle East continue about the Gardner art.

Enquires from Galway, Ireland about the status of the Gardner art are ever present, as with other enquires from Ireland.

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Enquires from Boca Raton, Florida, from a source close to Whitey Bulger about the status of the Gardner art.

Early 2009, Whitey Bulger landed in Florida after cruising the Caribbean.

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Summer 2009 Whitey Bulger back in Bantry Bay, Ireland, renting a cottage.
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Whitey Bulger currently located in ***************
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Other than that, a quiet time for information about the Gardner Art Heist, but expectations are high for the Fall, starting next week !!!!
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To be continued...................................

Stolen Art Watch, Graff Diamond Robbery, Gotcha, As Sweeney Sucker Robbers With Latex Disguise !!! Update !!!!

Graff Jewel Heist, Arrests !!

Art Hostage has incredible breaking news.

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Remember the Cockney rhyming slang for Flying Squad is "Sweeney Todd"

The Sweeney = Sweeney Todd =Flying Squad , an elite special armed robbery division of the London Metropolitan Police ; also used as the title of 70's TV series The Sweeney

Earlier today Police located two of the Graff robbers and as a precaution sent four Flying Squad Police officers to Covent Garden make up artists and had them disguised as elderly people, including wigs, false breasts and latex applied to the face.

These Flying Squad officers then approached the two Graff robbers without detection, quick as a flash they threw them to the ground and handcuffed them.

All the while, Mark Dalrymple, the Loss Adjuster working for the insurers on the Graff Jewel Heist observed.

Once the two Graff robbers were under arrest, Mark Dalrymple approached them as they lay on the ground and was met by the cry from both Graff robbers in unison:

"Who are these guys?"

Mark Dalrymple replied, with an ice cool stare from his piercing Blue eyes:

"They're the Sweeney, and they haven't had any dinner !!"

Enough to make Uncle Bertie Smalls turn in his grave.

Please watch this clip to hear the dinner quote at 1 minute:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZuNTRbZBv8

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Update:
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Two men will appear in court Friday 21st August 2009 charged in connection with Britain's biggest jewellery raid.

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Detectives investigating the £40million Graff Diamonds robbery have charged two men and continue to quiz a third suspect.

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Solomun Beyene, 24, from St John's Wood, north London, and Craig Calderwood, 26, of no fixed abode, are accused of conspiring with others to rob Graff jewellers in Mayfair, central London.

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The pair will appear at Wimbledon Magistrates Court
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A third man held in connection with Britain’s biggest diamond robbery will appear Satarday 22nd August 2009 at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court. Clinton Mogg, 42, from Bournemouth, is charged with conspiring with others to rob Graff jewellers in Central London.
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More to follow...........................................

Stolen Art Watch, Graff Jewel Heist, Déjà vu !! Update !!!

£40m jewels raid planned for two days earlier

The two men who pulled off Britain's biggest jewellery heist in central London planned to carry out the robbery two days earlier, Scotland Yard has said.

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The announcement came as CCTV images of the men wanted in connection with the £40m raid at Graff Jewellers on Thursday were released showing them outside the store on Tuesday.

Detective Chief Inspector Pam Mace, head of Barnes Flying Squad, said "We believe this was more than just a practice run, and that they were planning on committing the robbery on the August 4."

The CCTV images show the men outside the New Bond Street store at around 5.40pm on Tuesday.

Ms Mace said: "The stills clearly show the men outside Graff Jewellers, looking into the shop, and the blue BMW driving through New Bond Street.

"There has been a £1m reward offered in connection with the identification, arrest and prosecution of the persons responsible, and the recovery of the stolen property offered up by Tyler and Company on behalf of the interested insurers, and I am urging anyone who has information about those responsible, or where the jewellery is to come forward.

"They are wearing similar clothing to when they committed the offence on Thursday August 6, however the white man is wearing, in these stills, a purple shirt and no tie.

"What happened on Tuesday August 4 after they left the area? Did you see them or the BMW, we need you to come forward and speak to us please."

A Scotland Yard spokesman said there was no indication why the men did not carry out the raid on Tuesday.

The robbers fired a gun during their escape on Thursday and again as they got into a silver Mercedes in nearby Dover Street and were challenged by drinkers at a pub.

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Update:

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The two Graff robbers are believed to have been bankrolled by a gangster who planned to hijack £22million of Graff gems at Heathrow last year – but aborted the raid at the last moment.
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The crime boss, based near Tower Bridge in London, is being pursued for questioning, said a police source.
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He is a white businessman from Essex – known as a ‘face’ – who has run a number of businesses within the London area.

He has a palatial house in Essex, Just round the corner from Mark Dalrymple, the Loss Adjuster in the Graff case, who might be willing to accept the stolen Graff jewels back over the garden fence ???
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An underworld source, a former armed robber, said it was originally planned to seize Graff’s diamonds as they were about to be couriered to New Bond Street from Heathrow more than a year ago.
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He said: ‘The initial plan involved a mole within Graff who was tipping off the team on how to co-ordinate the robbery. He was part of the security team within the store.
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The gems were to be flown into Heathrow and then a three-man squad would impersonate Graff’s security personnel, hijack the shipment at a private area and then disappear.
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‘But after four months of planning, the final shipment was cancelled and the team decided to reassess how they were going to hit the store.’
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According to the source, the middle-aged crime boss portrays an image of respectability in his day-to-day life but for the past decade he has run a cadre of criminals he recruits from the streets of the capital.
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The source says he employs up to 250 people, many of them drivers.
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Company records show he was involved in setting up numerous firms within the security and building industry and then shutting some down within a matter of months.
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Four security companies he was involved with have been dissolved in the past four months after trading for only a few years.
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The source says that the ‘Mr Big’ became obsessed with hitting the upmarket jewellers and decided that however long it took, he would commit the biggest robbery he could possibly get away with
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The source added that one of the two raiders caught on CCTV cameras at the shop was involved in the aborted plan to rob Graff at Heathrow.
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The man, believed to be Ethiopean or Sudanese, is a highly skilled driver who works for the businessman as a trusted aide.
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The gangland source said: ‘He is a trusted ally and has been around for the past couple of years.
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‘He has been involved in previous work for the boss and is a big, intimidating presence.
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‘He used to be a night driver for the boss’s company and he knows how to handle himself. The governor thought the world of him.
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‘Over the past year and a half different faces would have changed within the planning but he has stayed throughout.
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‘He is well-trained in the skills of high-speed driving and security work and I wouldn’t be surprised if he drove one of the getaway cars that were used.
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‘Three cars and a motorcycle were used in last week’s raid and that is why he was such an integral part of the team.’ Police have confirmed DNA of one raider and are awaiting further results to identify the rest of the gang.

COPS probing the £40million Graff robbery may have found the gang's burned-out getaway car. -
Forensic experts are searching the VW Sharan - discovered in Ickenham, West London - for DNA clues.

The two gunmen used a Sharan after fleeing the store in London's Mayfair in a BMW and switching to a Mercedes.

Flying Squad cops are after a gang of six from South East and North London - and think they are still in Britain.

A police source said: "They haven't gone anywhere. We have impeccable intelligence they are lying low in the UK."

Update:

Top Israeli officials have been linked to Britain's biggest ever jewelry heist, in which gems worth up to $65 million (£40m) were stolen.

According to an Israeli report, three former senior officials in the Israeli army were the main share holders of the company responsible for guarding the Graff Diamond jewelers in central London, where the robbery took place.

The Universe Security Group (USG) has been in charge of the security of the store, after a group of Balkan robbers -- dubbed the Pink Panther gang -- carried out an armed raid on the same store in May 2005, taking off with 1 million pounds worth of diamonds.

Nahum Admoni, former Mossad chief and Maj. Gen. Uri Sagie, former chief of intelligence in the Israeli army, reportedly resigned from the leadership of the London-based group, just two months before the heist.

Another primary share holder of the security company is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's special adviser, Isaac Molho.

Art Hostage Comments:
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That's it then, case solved, we can all go home now !!!!
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Not so fast !!!!!!!

Stolen Art Watch, Graff Jewel Heist, Dalrymple Dangles £1 Million Reward !!!

Graff's jewel heist: £1m reward

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/lawandorder/6030406/A-reward-of-1-million-has-been-offered-in-the-hunt-for-the-robbers-behind-Britains-biggest-jewellery-heist-at-Graffs-in-Londons-Mayfair..html

A reward of £1 million has been offered in the hunt for the robbers behind Britain's biggest jewellery heist at Graff's in London's Mayfair.

The insurers, Tyler and Company, have put up the large sum for information leading to the identification, arrest and prosecution of the robbers and the recovery of the £40 million worth of stolen items.

Det Ch Insp Pam Mace, of Scotland Yard's Flying Squad, said: "I think this is the biggest reward ever been offered for a crime of this type and I'm directing my appeal at people, and that includes criminal associates, who know who these robbers are and where they are."

On Thursday detectives disclosed that they had recovered a loaded gun connected to the robbery, in a potentially significant breakthrough. It was not one of the two handguns used in the actual raid but it is being tested for DNA samples and its links to any previous shootings.

The detective said: "Everytime we uncover new information that takes out inquiry forward. Several lines of inquiry are ongoing but I am happy with the way it is progressing."

After the biggest ever cash robbery in Britain - a £53 million heist on a Securitas depot in Kent - an unprecedented £2m reward was offered. In the coming days, police managed to locate millions of pounds stashed in locations across Kent and south-east London.

Detectives are still trying to trace two of the three getaway cars used in relay by the robbers to escape central London.

It emerged earlier this week that the robbers hired a make-up artist to give them latex disguises just hours before they carried out the raid.

An unsuspecting 29-year-old artist, who notified police and may now be put under the witness protection programme, giving him a new identity, altered the suspect's hair colour and skin tone in a four-hour session. He had been led to believe they were appearing in a pop video and was told to make them look older.

The two men changed into suits and left the studio before taxing a black cab to Graff's, where it is believed they had set up an appointment under a false name. They stole 43 items of jewellery, encrusted with almost 1,500 diamonds, and fired warning shots as they left, having briefly taken a female employee hostage.

Forensic officers have seized items including hairbrushes, gowns and bank notes from a studio in central London to try to find DNA samples.

Investigators are still trawling through hundreds of hours of CCTV footage to piece together the robbers' exact escape route.

They are looking for at least two accomplices who helped the men escape last Thursday.

It is suspected that the jewels were stolen to order and police are investigating whether an insider was involved.

Witnesses said the men had genuine London accents, despite the fact little was said and the robbery was over in under two minutes.

Detectives arrested and questioned a 50-year-old man in Ilford, east London, on Monday in connection with the robbery.

They suspect that the man, who has been released on bail, may have been involved in planning the raid, although he was not in the West End when it took place.

Stolen Art Watch, Gardner Art Heist, Anthony Amore, Behind the Scenes, Sterling Efforts !!!

Largest Art Heist In the World, What Could Have Been Done to Prevent It

http://blog.brickhousesecurity.com/2009/08/13/largest-art-heist-world-uncovered/

After countless FBI searches, deals with the mob, and 19 years, $300 million dollars worth of art have still not been recovered.

In 1990 the largest art heist in history was performed resulting in 13 masterpieces of art, from painters like Rembrandt and Manet, missing from the Isabella Gardner Museum in Boston. Running in circles like chickens without heads, officials were plagued by false leads, empty promises, chases across the globe from China to antique shops in Boston, and failing spirits. 19 years later they have made no arrests and are no closer to retrieving the stolen pieces.

For extremely rare and precious pieces, like Rembrandt’s “Storm on the Sea of Galilee”, which was his only seascape, museums might want to consider embedding GPS tracking devices in the art so that if they ever are stolen they could easily be found again. Instead, officials spent years traveling all over the world following every tip they got, including some very expensive trips to Japan, only to find dead ends or replicated pieces.
But before we think about what could be done after the art is stolen, there are precautions to be taken while still in the museum. First, laser sensor alarms can be placed a certain distance away from paintings that, when crossed, will sound an alarm and notify security that someone has gotten extremely close to the paintings. Other protective measures, such as alarms that automatically shut down the museum if a painting is dismounted, can also be taken.

Another precaution that museums can take is to install hidden cameras. While the Isabella Gardner Museum was smart in setting up surveillance tapes- having them so visible and easily destroyed, renders them almost useless under a serious attack. The surveillance tapes planted in the museum were ripped out by the two thieves along with the paintings. Having smaller, covert surveillance equipment in addition to the more obvious installations can ensure that the thief will be identifiable.

The remains from the pillage can still be seen on the museum. Isabelle Gardner specifically stated in her will that absolutely nothing can be changed about her museum. The savaged corners of some of these masterpieces are still at the scene of the crime. These relics of the theft are the new show on display at the museum now instead of the timeless pieces of art. One must stop and wonder what could have been done to prevent this- what modern day museums could learn from this serious security breach. http://archives.cnn.com/2002/LAW/11/26/ctv.traces.museum.heist/index.html

Art Hostage Comments:

What this article fails to mention is the efforts of Anthony Amore, Director of Security at the Gardner Museum, since he joined the Museum.

With a background in Homeland Security, Anthony Amore has applied discreet measures that allow the public full access to the museum but also provide the most cutting edge security.

Stolen Art Watch, FBI Art Crime Team Sting Into Action !!!!

Attempted Sale of Stolen Pablo Picasso Etching

WILMINGTON, Del., Aug. 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Acting U.S. Attorney David C. Weiss and Tricia A. Gibbs, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Supervisory Special Agent announced today the unsealing of an indictment charging Marcus Patmon with wire fraud in the attempted sale of a stolen Pablo Picasso etching entitled "Le Repas Frugal."


The indictment charges that Patmon devised a scheme to defraud a victim identified as "C.E.B." by falsely claiming to be the true owner of "Le Repas Frugal" in connection with its attempted sale. In fact, as Patmon knew, "Le Repas Frugal" had been previously stolen from a West Palm Beach, Fla., art gallery, on May 22, 2008. From July through September 2008, an FBI special agent, acting in an undercover capacity, engaged Patmon in negotiations concerning the sale of the etching, which has an estimated value of $300,000.


Patmon, 38, is a resident of Miami, Fla. He faces a maximum statutory sentence of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release, restitution, and a $100 mandatory special assessment.


Acting U.S. Attorney David C. Weiss said, "This investigation and prosecution demonstrate our commitment to addressing the illicit sale of stolen art, a problem that is international in scope. I applaud our law enforcement partners, the FBI Art Crime Team and the Palm Beach Police Department, for the thorough investigation that exposed this scheme. Our office will continue to vigorously investigate and prosecute art crime in the future."

This case is being prosecuted by David L. Hall, Assistant U.S. Attorney.

SOURCE U.S. Department of Justice.

Stolen Art Watch, Van Mieris Cavalier on Radar !!!

Cavalier on the radar.

Enquires stemming from Germany about the Cavalier are ongoing and there could be the possibility of the Cavalier being recovered.

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Investigations in Sydney, Australia are also ongoing with ties to Europe and America.

However, if anyone is foolish enough to be in the same zip code, let alone the same place as the Cavalier when it is recovered, they will be arrested as soon as the Van Mieris Cavalier sees the light of day.

Back-story:

http://stolenvermeer.blogspot.com/2009/06/stolen-art-watch-cavalier-on-radar.html

Stolen Art Watch, Gardner Painting/Drawing Surfaces, Perhaps !!!

Hotter Than July !!!!

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Art Hostage has had some mixed messages from the Underworld regarding the Gardner art recently.

First of all there are reports coming out of Costa Mesa California that a Gardner painting has been found.

Add to that a report from Boston ""La Sortie Du Pelage" by Degas has been found and Art Hostage wonders if the first tentative hand back has occurred ???

Art Hostage thinks the most likely stolen Gardner artwork to be recovered first will be Degas, "Cortege Aux Environs De Florence" which has been floating around for quite a while.

What did Whitey Bulger write on the back of a picture is another question worth knowing the answer.

Rumour has it Whitey Bulger wrote a letter on the back of a stolen Gardner painting to taunt authorities if and when they ever recover the stolen Gardner art.

A Whitey Bulger Gardner Art cocktail is the worst nightmare for authorities and is why any connection is dismissed out of hand, as if to be in a state of "hopeful denial"

However, the Gardner drawings could surface as they are reputed to still be around the Boston area.

The main stolen Gardner artworks are being held Art Hostage until a deal is offered that will tempt those in control to deal.

All previous attempts to make a deal have fallen on deaf ears, despite the public protestation's of some who claim no deal has been put forward.

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Incredible news about who has offered their services in the pursuit of Whitey Bulger.

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I am sorry but I cannot bring myself to reveal who has offered to help locate Whitey Bulger as I am so shocked and amazed.

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Talk about a "Poacher Turned Game-keeper" Wow, is all I can say at this stage !!!

Stolen Art Watch, Gardner Art, Vermeer, Dominic McGlinchey the Younger, Catholic Church Confession Box, Silver Bird, Boston !!!!!

Memo to Dominic McGlinchey.

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Mr Dominic McGlinchey Junior, please do not, I repeat do not allow yourself to be in the same Town, let alone the same post-code as the Vermeer/Gardner art when any or all are recovered.

Trust me when I tell you the Vermeer and Gardner art are Radio-active and they must, I repeat must be left in a Catholic Church confession box so either the Priest or authorities can recover the Vermeer and Gardner art from the confession box, therefore no-one, I repeat no-one will arrested during the recovery process.

I am sure you will make sure the person claiming the reward can stand up to public and law enforcement scrutiny.

If you trust the Priest to claim the reward then he can use the power of the confessional to keep the identity of the person handing back the Vermeer secret.

The Priest can do this in all sincerity if that person really has had nothing to do with the original Gardner heist and the subsequent handling of the Gardner art.

Mr Dominic McGlinchey Junior, if you allow yourself to be suckered into so much as a peek-a-boo of the Vermeer Gardner art, if they see the light of day for just a moment, all hell will break loose, Police, Garda, and FBI will swoop and everyone within a 10 mile radius will be arrested.

Once again, please, please make sure the Vermeer/Gardner art is discovered in a Catholic Church Confession box.

The symbolism of absolution will cleanse the Vermeer/Gardner art and will also prevent anyone being arrested during the recovery process.

God speed !!

Here endeth the lesson by Art Hostage.

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Update:

Back-story: Why Dominic McGlinchey Junior is in the Frame for the Vermeer and Gardner art

Man shot by RIRA reveals Donaldson killers

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/ireland/article6544003.ece

Liam McGinley has agreed to testify against dissidents who abducted and shot him, and named the killers of spy

A Donegal man who was abducted and shot by dissident republicans has offered to testify in court against members of the Real IRA (RIRA) in the northwest.

In what security sources regard as an intelligence coup against dissident republicans, Liam McGinley, a father of six from Letterkenny, has also revealed the identities of the RIRA gunmen who murdered Denis Donaldson, the former Sinn Fein strategist who was shot dead at a remote cottage in Donegal in April 2006 after admitting he was a British spy.

McGinley is under garda protection, although it is not clear whether he has been formally admitted to the force’s witness-protection programme. A file that includes statements he made to gardai outlining his knowledge of the RIRA, and naming the paramilitaries who shot him, is being studied by the Director of Public Prosecutions.

McGinley agreed to co-operate after he was abducted, shot in the abdomen and dumped on a dirt track in the Derryveagh mountains in Donegal in November 2007.

He survived the attack and made his way to a nearby house whose occupants rushed him to Letterkenny general hospital. He was transferred to the Mater in Dublin where he agreed to co-operate with gardai in return for protection.

Security sources claim his decision to turn state’s evidence marks a breakthrough in the fight against republican terrorism in the northwest, a stronghold of the RIRA.

Although McGinley was never a member of the organisation, he had extensive contacts with the group’s membership in Donegal and Londonderry. Among them were senior terrorists suspected by gardai of organising attacks on the British security forces.

Garda sources emphasised last week that McGinley’s evidence was unlikely to lead to Donaldson’s killers being charged soon, but the force is confident of pressing some charges against three suspects involved in his shooting.

“He wasn’t present when Donaldson was murdered but has identified the killers and disclosed certain information on what happened to the weapon used in the killing,” said a source close to the inquiry.

Donaldson was murdered at a remote holiday home in Glenties. He was shot four times by an assailant armed with a shotgun. The first two shots were fired through the front door of his cottage as he attempted to bolt it or barricade himself inside. Once inside, his killers fired two more cartridges, killing him.

Members of the Provisional IRA were initially blamed for the murder but McGinley claims it was carried out by members of the RIRA from Londonderry. The organisation recently admitted it.

Originally from Scotland, McGinley grew up in Falcarragh but was not known to gardai as a serious criminal or a republican sympathiser. He was known in Letterkenny as a troublemaker who often appeared in court charged with public-order offences. In one incident, he was accused of threatening an undercover member of the garda drugs squad after being stopped and searched in Letterkenny.

RIRA, which murdered 29 people and unborn twins when it bombed Omagh in August 1998, has been repeatedly infiltrated by spies and informants since its formation in 1997. Paddy Dixon, a Dublin car thief who supplied stolen cars to RIRA in the months before Omagh, helped the gardai to intercept a series of bombs. He joined the state’s witness-protection scheme after his identity was accidentally revealed.

MI5 and the FBI also ran Dave Rupert, an agent recruited in America to infiltrate the RIRA. He appeared as a witness against Michael McKevitt, the founder of the terrorist group, helping to convict him on charges of directing terrorism.

General John de Chastelain, the head of the decommissioning body, will announce this week that Northern Ireland’s main loyalist paramilitaries have begun to decommission their weapons.

The groups involved are aiming to complete the process later this year. When they do, de Chastelain will give the British and Irish governments a full inventory of all decommissioned weapons, both loyalist and republican.

Loyalists’ plans to announce the move at a joint press conference were upset last week when reports leaked out that decommissioning had begun. The Ulster Volunteer Force and Red Hand Commando decommissioned the bulk of their joint arsenal two weeks ago.

Art Hostage Comments:

Charlie Hill, the art loss investigator recruited Liam McGinley and a man called Sheridan to try to smoke out the Vermeer and Gardner art back in 2007.

Liam McGinley reported back to Charlie Hill that Dominic McGlinchey Junior was holding the Vermeer/Gardner art having been given it by Whitey Bulger as a thank you for giving Whitey Bulger shelter whilst he was on the Lam.

Liam McGinley was exposed in 2007 and shot.

Now Liam McGinley has implicated Dominic McGlinchey junior again, amongst other people and pressure is being applied for Dominic McGlinchey to produce the Vermeer/Gardner art.

Art Hostage to the rescue, please just leave the Vermeer/Gardner art in a Catholic Church Confession box to be recovered by either a priest or authorities.

Now you can see why Art Hostage has been focusing on the Catholic Church confession box route, a neutral place because it's the art that matters.

Stolen Art Watch, Gardner Art, Vermeer, Return to Bare Island Bantry Bay

Amazing, after all these years it seems the Vermeer and some Gardner art held in Ireland have returned to Bare Island Bantry Bay.

It was in 2002 Art Hostage first tracked the Vermeer and some Gardner art to Bare Island Bantry Bay, scene of an IRA arms dump. This was the resting place for the Vermeer before it travelled to Dublin.

Now it seems the Vermeer has come full circle and is now back on Bare Island Bantry Bay awaiting collection.

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Stashed close to Bantry Bay House, in a cottage on the estate to be specific.

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Mind you, Bantry Bay House, home to another Whitey, Shelswell that is, is a prime target !!!

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Do I have to be more specific than that guys !!!

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No more running, Whitey Bulger is waiting with the Gardner art, Vermeer in his hidaway cottage on the estate of Bantry Bay House.

more to follow............................

Stolen Art Watch, Gardner Art Caught Between Irish Politics and Irish Gangsters !!!

Accused was not in INLA, says former paramilitary

http://www.examiner.ie/breakingnews/ireland/accused-was-not-in-inla-says-former-paramilitary-415554.html

A brother of former INLA leader Dominic McGlinchey told the Special Criminal Court in Dublin today that he had no reason to believe that a Strabane man was an INLA member.

Mr Sean Mc Glinchey, who himself served 18 years in prison for IRA activities, and who is now a senior Sinn Féin member, said that he did not believe Eddie Mc Garrigle was an INLA member.

Mr Mc Glinchey said that he would not have come to court to give evidence on Mc Garrigle’s behalf if he believed he was in the INLA.

He told the court that he had held senior positions in the IRA and Sinn Féin and his brother Dominic had been involved for years in the INLA who held him in high esteem.

"At no time did I see Eddie McGarrigle in any discussions with them," he added.

Dominic McGlinchey, who at one stage was the most wanted man in Ireland, was murdered in Drogheda in 1994. His wife Mary was shot dead in Dundalk in 1987 as she bathed the couple’s young sons, Declan and Dominic.

Mr Sean McGlinchey told the court today that he accepted that the INLA is an illegal organisation.

He said that he had met Mc Garrigle in 1995 as part of his work in the peace process.

Mr Mc Glinchey was giving defence evidence in the trial of three men who were arrested in February last year by gardaí investigating a plot to kidnap a Cork businessman.

Edward McGarrigle (aged 43), Melmont Gardens, Strabane, Co Tyrone, Neil Myles (aged 54), of no fixed abode, and John McCrossan (aged 47), Ballycoleman Estate, Strabane, Co Tyrone have pleaded not guilty to membership the INLA on February 22 last year.

It is the prosecution's case that the four men were involved in a plot to commit a crime at the home of a Cork businessman.

The trial continues next Tuesday.

Limerick crime boss John Dundon believed to be in hospital

http://www.limerickleader.ie/news/Limerick-crime-boss-John-Dundon.5382489.jp

A LIMERICK criminal is reported to be in hospital in England – less than a week after he and members of his gang posted a video on YouTube threatening the leader of a rival gang.
John Dundon, 29, who is wanted in Limerick to face alleged public order offences, is believed to have suffered back injuries in a car accident in the Greater London area.

It is understood that his injuries are not life threatening, while an associate of the gang, who also fled the country following a number of high profile murders in Limerick, suffered minor whiplash when the car went off the road.

It has not yet been established whether the vehicle in which they were travelling was the dark coloured Mercedes that features in the YouTube video.

In the video, John Dundon boasts about his new high-powered Mercedes, a top of the range c-class that is estimated to worth up to €100,000.
A bench warrant was issued for his arrest last November when he failed to appear at Limerick Court for the alleged offences.

At the time, he fled the country after the murder of rugby player Shane Geoghegan, 28, in Dooradoyle, and the warrant for his arrest is still outstanding.

The four minutes and 19seconds video on YouTube - titled Limerick Boys in da Hood, has now attracted over 13,000 views.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yg9-wUrj9WQ

It was taken down from the site last week, but reposted within a matter of hours by a different user.

In the video, John Dundon warns Christy Keane of a rival gang: "Christy, if you're looking for me, I'm somewhere in, eh, Europe, but I know where you are."

References to gunshots are also made in the video.

"I think he's going to hear a small bit of it. He's going to hear something and he won't hear the rest of it," said John Dundon.
Another member of the gang added: "Pop!"

The front registration plate of the car was covered with a plastic bag to prevent identification.

Two other Limerick men appear in the video and John Dundon boasts that one of them may be his getaway driver.

Ger Dundon, 22, who has over 70 previous convictions, also calls out in the video: "See you soon, motherf***er."

Ger Dundon was recently released from prison following a 10-month sentence for motoring and public order offences. He also was fined by Limerick Court last November for urinating on a Garda patrol car.

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He has returned to Limerick and was seen in Ballinacurra Weston, the gang's stronghold, last week.
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Christy Keane was released from Portlaoise Prison last February. He completed almost seven-and-a-half years of a 10-year sentence after he was caught with €240,000 worth of cannabis in St Mary's Park in 2001.
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Local gardai who watched the video believe it may have been taken in Amsterdam and said the gang was being watched closely by gardai in Limerick, as well those from Dublin.

However, they said it was not clear if the video material could be used as evidence in future criminal trials against McCarthy-Dundon gang members, stating it was a matter for Director of Public Prosecutions.

Meanwhile, Roy Collins' family are still under Garda protection after threats were allegedly made against the family following his murder.
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The family was reported to have been "horrified" when they saw the video clip and said it was further evidence that the gang "have no intention of giving up their terror tactics".

Stolen Art Watch, Van Mieris Cavalier on Radar, Update !!!!

Theft from Art Gallery of New South Wales

Van Mieris, A Cavalier

DESCRIPTION
On June 10, 2007, "A Cavalier," a self portrait in oil on wood panel by Dutch Master Frans Van Mieris, was stolen from the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. The piece was stolen while the gallery was open for public viewing. The relatively small portrait measures 20 x 16 cm. Its value is estimated at over $1 million.
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Art Hostage comments:

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Interesting tale.

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Back story:

http://stolenvermeer.blogspot.com/2009/01/stolen-art-watch-homesick-cavalier.html

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Art Hostage was contacted by a man and woman who offered to give information on the whereabouts of this stolen painting back in June 2008.

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Art Hostage contacted Michael Maher, who was working for the New South Wales Govt, to see what, if any reward was on offer.

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Art Hostage also enquired to see what expense money was available.

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Michael Maher, in no uncertain terms, told Art Hostage there was no expense money and any reward would be a small nominal token gesture.

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Art Hostage walked away and that was that.

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It now seems the FBI have put this art theft in their top ten and perhaps there has been a change of heart.

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Update;

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For some time Art Hostage has known about indications the Van Mieris Cavalier painting is currently in the U.S. or has been offered to someone in the U.S.

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This is the reason why the FBI Art Crime Team have added this painting to their Top Ten list.

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Art Hostage has been told by several sources, the FBI Art Crime Team tried to smoke out the stolen Cavalier painting by having an agent pose as a potential buyer.

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This failed because those with the Cavalier saw through the ruse and the Cavalier remains wanted. A case of the Cavalier that's not bloody laughing.

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How can the Van Mieris Cavalier painting be recovered ?

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Contact Art Hostage who offers Global solutions to Global Art Theft.

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arthostage@hotmail.co.uk

Stolen Art Watch, Whitey Bulger, Gardner Art, For Sale !!!!

Art Hostage has learnt the FBI led multi-agency Fugitive Squad/DOJ are currently negotiating the arrest of Whitey Bulger for the $2 million reward.

The discussions are at an advanced stage and if they prove fruitful then expect an Irish theme.

The continued pressure being applied to the INLA in relation to the Gardner art is ongoing but the breakthrough could come from an alternative Irish Republican source to settle a multi-million Euro debt owed to the govt.

More to follow..............................................................

Stolen Art Watch, Declan Duffy, Forget the Murder Where is the Gardner Art ?????

I'll say sorry for INLA murder

http://www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/news/asking-forgiveness-say-likes/article-1057215-detail/article.html

Seventeen years ago, Derby soldier Michael Newman was gunned down. The Irish National Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the murder. A former leader of the group, named as a suspect, says he is ready to cooperate with police. Claire Duffin reports.

IN April 1992, Elizabeth Robinson was looking forward to spending the rest of life with her soldier fiance Michael Newman.

But her dreams were cruelly shattered when Sgt Newman was shot in the head at point blank range in Derby city centre – an innocent victim of the troubles in Northern Ireland.

He had never served in Ulster and was not wearing uniform when he was chosen as a target by the Irish National Liberation Army and killed.

The IRA splinter group claimed responsibility for the murder – writing to Sgt Newman's devastated parents telling them their son was simply another cog in the wheel in their fight to bring down the British army.


Seventeen years on, Declan Duffy, one of three men named at the time by police as a suspect, says he will write to the family again –this time apologising on behalf of the group.

He has also pledged to cooperate fully with the police and tell them what he knows about the murder.

But the move has angered Elizabeth. She said: "Writing a letter would devastate his mum and dad."

"What could he say to his parents. How could he apologise for taking their only son?

"They (the INLA) wrote to them at the time explaining that he was just another cog in the wheel.

"I don't know what he is hoping to achieve by writing to me or his parents, is he wanting forgiveness for murder?

"He can say what he likes but he will never get that from me.

"I became a completely different person after the man I loved was taken away."

Elizabeth was 28 when Sgt Newman, a Royal Signal Corps recruitment officer, was gunned down.

The 34-year-old was taken to intensive care at Derbyshire Royal Infirmary but his life support machine was switched off the following morning.

Elizabeth said: "This is a political war but we are not part of it.

"I was only 28 when he died and I did not know much about the situation. I am more worldly now and understand they have a political war.

"I understand they think they have their reasons but what reason is there for killing anybody?"

Derbyshire police want to speak to Duffy in connection with the murder.

The 35-year-old, along with Anthony Gorman, is facing extradition from Ireland following a request by Derbyshire police in May this year.

Duffy is serving a four-year term for membership of the Irish National Liberation Army, despite his decision to renounce links with the group, leading to death threats.

He said he expects to be flown to England next month and has vowed to help police.

"The police have wanted to speak to me about this killing for a very long time and I'm ready to meet them," he said.

"I won't gain anything by remaining silent during the interview so I'm going to tell them everything that I know.

"I would never have spoken to the police in the past but my war is over and there are things I have to get off my chest."

Duffy said if he was charged and found guilty he would accept his punishment.

He said: "I just want to put my past behind me."

Duffy also apologised on behalf of the terror group to Sgt Newman's family.

He said: "This man was a family man and it is regrettable that he was killed.

"I would be happy to meet with any member of his family to explain to them the circumstances of why soldiers at that time were being targeted.

"The war is now over and I acknowledge the hurt caused to Irish and English people."

In May, Anthony Gorman, was arrested on suspicion of murder by members of the Garda Extradition Unit.

He appeared at the High Court in Dublin and released on bail after the case was adjourned to give his lawyers more time to prepare a case against his extradition.

Previous attempts to have Gorman extradited in 1994 failed after legal arguments, but this time, with a new European law in place, it is hoped to be successful.

Days after Gorman's arrest, Duffy was held, also on suspicion of murder. He was remanded in custody to appear at an extradition hearing this month.

Joseph Magee, was jailed for 25 years in 2004, after pleading guilty to Sgt Newman's murder on the understanding he would be released two years later under the Good Friday Agreement.

Stolen Art Watch, Titian Targeted For The Second Time, "Main Course" Art Theft Summer 2009 !!

World Exclusive

Art Hostage has learnt the so called "Main Course" art theft this summer 2009 is to be Titian's "Rest on the Flight into Egypt" first stolen in 1995 and recovered in 2002, which is currently housed in the State Drawing Room at Longlest House, home to the Marquis of Bath.

Back-story:

Stolen £5m Titian found in carrier bag after seven-year hunt

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2002/aug/23/arttheft.arts

The seven-year hunt for a stolen Titian masterpiece worth more than £5m has ended with the discovery of the painting, safe inside a plastic carrier bag.
The work, Rest on the Flight into Egypt, by the 16th century Venetian master, was taken from the first floor state drawing room of Lord Bath's Longleat estate in Wiltshire in January 1995.

Yesterday it emerged that the painting, which has lost its frame but is otherwise intact, had been discovered in the Greater London area in a plastic shopping bag after a search led by the leading art detective and former Scotland Yard officer Charles Hill, who is now security adviser to the Historic Houses Association.

A £100,000 reward was offered for information leading to its safe return following the theft. But details of what has happened with the reward and the recovery itself have not been revealed until now for what are described as operational reasons. Two years after the theft it was reported that Longleat received a ransom demand for the painting.

Painted on a wooden panel 2ft wide, the picture is one of Titian's most famous and depicts the Virgin Mary cradling Jesus as an infant with Joseph looking on.

It was bought by the 4th Marquess of Bath at auction from Christie's in 1878.

Speaking yesterday, Longleat's general manager Tim Moore said he was delighted the work had been found intact. "It has been a long and difficult process but we are all extremely pleased that the painting is finally safe," he said.

"Mr Hill is the leading expert in his field and he has remained confident throughout that the picture would eventually turn up.

"He was appointed to recover the painting, he has succeeded and we are extremely grateful for all his hard work."

The painting will undergo conservation work before being returned to its country home, but it is not thought to be badly damaged.

Lord Bath, who is in France, was said to be delighted at the news of the painting's safe recovery. He said: "I will wait until I have been able to see it with my own eyes before I get too excited or make any further comments."

Interesting to note, Mark Dalrymple, the Art Loss Adjuster tasked with recovering the Titian was also in France because he could not be seen to be party to the paying of the £100,000 reward when in fact Mark Dalrymple knew full well Charlie Hill was going to buy the Titian back. Mark Dalrymple made sure he was in France so he could look innocent.

2009 Titian Under Threat

Moving onto 2009 and Art Hostage has been watching very carefully the increasing art thefts carried out by the Irish Pink Panthers and learnt there was going to be a spectacular art theft before August 31st 2009.

No details were given until now and Art Hostage felt caught between a rock and a hard place.

How to prevent this theft from happening and protect the Titian in the process.

Should Art Hostage contact Police and warn them ???

No, Police would not react and could try to allow this theft to happen so they can arrest the culprits, therefore putting the Titian in danger of being damaged.

Should Art Hostage contact the Marquis of Bath to warn him ?

No, because the Marquis of Bath will immediately contact Police who will in turn try to paint Art Hostage as being less than honourable.

A dilemma indeed, until Art Hostage took advice from a man who has become an inspiration to Art Hostage.

This man, who I will introduce at a later date, counseled Art Hostage on the virtues of the art and explained it is always the art that must take priority, especially Masterpieces on view to the Public.

Sure the Marquis of Bath is rich and enjoys a lavish lifestyle, but he is just a temporary custodian of the Titian and if the theft went down it would be the public that suffers.

With this in mind Art Hostage has decided to post this breaking news and that means both Police and the Underworld will both know the plan to steal the Titian has been exposed.

Memo to the Irish Pink Panthers

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Please leave the Marquis of Bath alone and stay clear of Longleat House.

On Monday, Police will race to Longleat House and security will be stepped up.

Any attempt to steal the Titian will not now succeed so please cross Longleat House off the list.

Memo to Police, Mark Dalrymple and Charlie Hill

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Art Hostage has given you fair warning in this case and hopefully you will race to Longleat and protect the Titian.

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The now seven year old personal dispute between Mark Dalrymple and Charlie Hill should be put to one side and both of you should attend Longleat House to disscuss with the Marquis of Bath how best to protect the Titian, which is now worth a stagering £25 million.

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Not convinced that Titian's Rest on the Flight into Egypt is worth £25 million, well see link below regarding the two Titians recently saved for the British nation, sold at a bargin price we are told:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2009/feb/02/art-titian-diana-actaeon

Art Hostage has decided detente is the best solution, whereby Police don't arrest thieves trying to steal the Titian and Thieves don't attempt to steal the Titian, possiblty damaging it in the process.

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A case of the Police lose, the thieves lose, but the Public win

Stolen Art Watch, Declan Duffy, One Trial Over, One More To Go !!!

Former INLA leader gets four years in jail

http://breakingnews.iol.ie/news/ireland/former-inla-leader-gets-four-years-in-jail-412832.html

The former leader of the INLA in Dublin, Declan `Whacker’ Duffy, has been jailed for four years for membership of the organisation.

Earlier this month, at the Special Criminal Court, Duffy publicly turned his back on the terrorist group and pleaded guilty to the INLA membership charge.

He admitted membership of an illegal organisation styling itself the Irish National Liberation Army, otherwise the INLA on June 22, last year.

Det Supt Diarmaid O’Sullivan told the court that gardaí came into possession of confidential information in August 2007 that a businessman in Cork, Denis Maguire, had been made the potential target of a subversive organisation. He was to be detained and money extorted from him.

The court heard that Duffy was observed on October 18, 2007, in the company of another man. They drove to Cork and booked in at the Silver Springs Hotel under false names and addresses.

The following morning, Duffy and the other man were observed by gardaí driving to the home of the intended target of the extortion, a premises at Lover’s Walk, Montenotte.

Det Supt O’Sullivan said that a “circuitous route” was taken.

“This is an anti-surveillance tactic,” he said.

Duffy exited the car and entered the premises. The gardaí lost sight of him for five minutes. Duffy then left the property and returned with the other man to the Silver Springs.

Duffy was observed again on November 6 travelling to Cork, again booking into the Silver Springs using a false name and address.

Three other men – who booked into Jury’s Inn in Cork, using aliases - were also under surveillance on that date.

Det Supt O’Sullivan told the court that the three men left Jury’s Inn at 11.45am that morning and met Duffy in the car park of the Silver Springs.

They all travelled together to the house at Lover’s Walk, Montenotte. Once again, a circuitous route was taken.

The three men who had travelled with Duffy entered the premises. Duffy did not.

The four men then drove back to Cork city centre.

The following morning, Duffy was again observed outside the premises at Lover’s Walk. The wife of the proposed target drove into Cork city and was followed by Duffy.

Det Supt O’Sullivan told the court that the intended target, Mr Maguire, then made an unexpected trip to Spain.

“This created a problem for the people involved” in the intended extortion.

Duffy and the men were observed shaking hands and departing each other’s company.

The court was told that Duffy was observed at a meeting at the Mercantile pub on Dame St in Dublin on February 11 last year.

Gardaí approached those at the bar. Duffy gave his name to them.

Over a week later, five men were arrested in Cork in relation to the proposed extortion and were subsequently charged with INLA membership.

Two of those men have pleaded guilty while the other three are currently on trial.

Duffy was arrested on June 22 last year. His house was searched and books of evidence relating to three men charged with offences before the Special Criminal Court were found.

Duffy was interviewed twelve times by gardaí.

Det Supt O’Sullivan said that he “generally was evasive in relation to the answers.”

Duffy has previous convictions at the Special Criminal Court. In January 2001 he was sentenced to five years for possession of a handgun on October 6, 1999.

He was also sentenced to nine years each for four further convictions, which were the false imprisonment of four men, detaining them without their consent, also on October 6, 1999.

Det Supt O’Sullivan agreed with Michael O’Higgins SC that Duffy’s public disassociation from the INLA was a “significant factor” in the case.

He also agreed that it is easier to disassociate from a subversive organisation than it is to re-associate.

Paul Hogan, school principal and member of the Castlerea Prison Visiting Committee, told the court that he had a “degree of contact” with Duffy while he was serving time for his previous convictions.

He said that he believed the “penny has finally dropped” for Duffy.

“He has kids – eight and ten years old – who are at a critical point. They need a dad. His partner told me she put it up to him if he doesn’t disassociate with all forms of subversive activity, she’ll part ways with him.”

Mr Hogan said: “I honestly believe Declan is not going to re-offend.”

“I think Declan is ready to move on with his life if he’s given a chance.”

Ms Justice Elizabeth Dunne, presiding at the three-judge, non-jury court, said that the offence is a “serious one”.

Duffy’s guilty plea also had to be taken into consideration, she said, adding that the court “places significant weight on the public disassociation from the INLA.”

However, Ms Justice Dunne said that another “significant factor” was the Duffy’s previous convictions, “arising out of the so-called Ballymount incident”.

She also said: “It is disturbing to note that within eight months of his release, the accused was involved in the events which led up to this offence.”

Duffy’s four-year sentence was backdated to July 2, last year.

Stolen Art Watch, Gardner Art Search Squeezes Declan McGlinchey With Ancient, Historic Allegation !!!!

The son of former INLA boss Dominic ‘Mad Dog’ McGlinchey has appeared in court on bomb charges.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/dissident-on-bomb-charges-14312507.html

Dissident republican Declan McGlinchey from Gulladuff Road, Bellaghy was released on continuing bail of £5,000 after appearing before Belfast Crown Court yesterday.

The 32-year-old construction worker denies the four charges of making explosives with intent to endanger life; possession of explosives with intent to endanger life; making explosives with intent and making explosives under suspicious circumstances.

He is alleged to have committed the crimes between January 17 and July 3, 2006. It is understood a bomb was discovered in Bellaghy in July. Two sureties of £5,000 each were also ordered, the defendant was told to surrender his passport and to report to police twice weekly.

Art Hostage Comments;

All part of the squeezing process to try and recover the stolen Gardner art, Vermeer in partiqular.

Allegedly, Whitey Bulger gave the Vermeer and co to Declan and Dominic jnr McGlinchey as a tribute to their father and also for the shelter and cover provided for Whitey Bulger when he has been in Ireland on the Lam.

The plan offered is, First one to recover the Gardner art, Vermeer in partiqular, recieves the "get out of jail free" card"

Whatever the details lets get the Vermeer to the nearest Catholic Church Confession Box as soon as possible.

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Give them all "get out of jail free" cards if thats what it takes.

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Time to "look big and pay up"

Stolen Art Watch, Declan Duffy, Ex INLA Leader, "Just When I Thought I Was Out...., They Pull me Back In !!!!" Dessie O'Hare Update !!!

Duffy is accused of soldier's gun death

http://www.herald.ie/national-news/courts/duffy-is-accused-of-soldiers-gun-death-1748306.html

A SECOND man wanted by British authorities over the shooting dead of an unarmed British soldier in England more than 17 years ago has appeared before the High Court.

Declan Derek Patrick Duffy (35) originally from Armagh, but now of Hanover St West, Dublin, is being sought under a European Arrest Warrant alleging he murdered Sergeant Michael Newman (34) on April 13, 1992, outside an army careers office in Derby where the soldier worked.

Sgt Newman, a father-of-one, was shot in the head and died the following day. The INLA later claimed responsibility.

Extradition

Duffy is also facing a charge that he conspired to commit murder on dates between January 1, 1992 and April 13, 1992. He is currently in custody on domestic matters.

Another man is also facing extradition proceedings in relation the same matter. Anthony Patrick Gorman (39) originally from Co Armagh, but now of Bailieborough, Cavan, appeared before the High Court earlier this month and was later remanded on bail pending the hearing of the extradition proceedings.

Yesterday at the High Court, amid tight security, Mr Justice Michael Peart remanded Duffy in custody to appear again later this month.

Duffy, dressed in a cream jacket and sunglasses, did not speak during the brief hearing.

Det Sgt Jim Kirwan, of the Garda Extradition Unit, told the court that yesterday morning he arrested Duffy at the Four Courts in Dublin on foot of a warrant endorsed by the High Court earlier this year.

Nationality

Duffy acknowledged his name, age and place of birth. How-ever, when asked if his nationality was British, the court was told he made no reply.

The detective, in reply to counsel for the State, said that when Duffy was asked if he knew about the charges contained on the arrest warrant, he replied: "I know."

Earlier this month at the Special Criminal Court, Duffy pleaded guilty to membership of the INLA.

However, he publicly disassociated himself from the organisation before the three judge court. He is currently awaiting sentence.

The judge also informed Duffy he had a right to consent to his surrender should he so desire.

hnews@herald.ie

- Tim Healy
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Interesting to note this take from the Irish News:

THE British government will this morning apply for the extradition of a leading dissident republican being held in the Republic for questioning about the murder of a British army recruiting sergeant 17 years ago.

Declan Duffy (36) is due to be sentenced later this month at Dublin Special Criminal Court in the Republic on charges of belonging to an illegal organisation, namely the INLA.

However, it is understood that British government lawyers will this morning apply to the High Court in Dublin for the Co Armagh man to be extradited to England under a European Arrest Warrant (EAW) to be questioned about the 1992 murder of British army recruiting sergeant Michael Newman.

The 33-year-old had just lowered a flag outside the army recruiting office where he worked in Derby and was walking to his car when he was shot in the head.

Within days British police named Duffy and two other INLA men as being wanted in connection with the murder.

While the three were arrested in the Republic the following year, Duffy’s co-accused Anthony Gorman and Joseph Magee both successfully challenged attempts to have them extradited back to Britain to be questioned about the soldier’s murder.

Duffy and Gorman, who have both served jail terms in the Republic, have never been tried for their alleged involvement in the murder as they have refused to go to Britain for questioning.

However, in 2004 Magee was arrested when he secretly crossed the border into Northern Ireland to attend a funeral in his native Co Armagh.

He later pleaded guilty to the soldier’s murder and was ordered to serve a minimum of 25 years behind bars.

However Magee walked free from prison in April 2006 under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement’s early release scheme.

Earlier this month Gorman was arrested in

Co Cavan and questioned by gardai about the 1992 murder.

British government lawyers are believed to be seeking Gorman’s extradition alongside Duffy.

However, it was last night unclear whether Duffy, above, would be entitled to benefit from the Good Friday Agreement release scheme, if convicted of the killing.

In March this year it was claimed that Duffy had been dismissed as leader of its organisation in Dublin.

Earlier this week he publicly said he had en-ded his association with the INLA and wanted to serve his time a non-paramilitary prisoner.

However, the government is also understood to be under severe pressure to despecify the INLA’s ceasefire status following its involvement in the separate murders of three men in Derry in recent years.

If the government does decide to refuse to recognise the INLA’s ceasefire status and Duffy and Gorman are convicted of the soldier’s murder they could face 25 years in prison.

Art Hostage Comments:

Declan Duffy is trying to leave the Irish Republican stage as linked below:
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http://stolenvermeer.blogspot.com/2009/05/stolen-art-watch-declan-duffy-retires.html

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This one is for Declan Duffy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPw-3e_pzqU

And this one from Silvio:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACIS1inmjFc&NR=1

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Update:

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Dessie O'Hare comes to the rescue and the Stolen Vermeer from the Gardner Museum in Boston is discovered in a Confession Box at the Brothers of Charity in Galway, thereby thwarting any attempts by the UVF to gain credit from the Vermeer recovery.

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Sad how "The Concert" by Vermeer has been held Art Hostage and passed around as collateral in contraband deals.

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It needs to go back home and break free from the shackles of being a pawn in underworld activity.

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Do the deal !!!!!

Stolen Art Watch, Declan Duffy, Just When He Thought He Was Out, They Pull Him Back In !!!!!!!

Two face extradition to UK over 1992 murder

http://sluggerotoole.com/index.php/weblog/comments/two-face-extradition-to-uk-over-1992-murder/

Two men are facing extradition from Ireland to the UK in connection with the INLA murder of British army recruitment officer, Michael Newman, in Derby in 1992.

Anthony Gorman, 39, was arrested in County Cavan last week and is currently remanded on bail, while Declan Duffy, 36, was arrested in Dublin today on a European Arrest Warrant.

Both men were named as suspects in the murder at the time but extradition attempts in 1994 failed.

A third man Joseph Magee was subsequently arrested in Armagh in 2004 and was jailed for 25 years in 2004 after pleading guilty to the murder on the understanding he would be released two years later under the terms of the 1998 Belfast Agreement.

Man remanded over murder of British army sergeant

http://www.argus.ie/breaking-news/national-news/man-remanded-over-murder-of-british-army-sergeant-1747342.html

A 34-year-old native of Armagh who is wanted in the UK on a charge of murdering a British Army Recruitment Officer has appeared before the High Court on foot of an extradition warrant.
Declan Duffy originally from Armagh but with an address at Hanover Street West in Dublin, was arrested this morning and when asked if he knew what it was in relation to he replied, " yes I know what it's about."

It is alleged by the UK authorities that he murdered 34-year-old father of one, army sergeant Michael Newman who was shot in the head outside an Army Careers Office in Derby in England in 1992.

Mr Justice Michael Peart remanded Mr Duffy in custody until May 27.

Stolen Art Watch, Gardner Art Heist, Want The $5 Million Reward, "Carmen Get It" Says New U.S. Attorney Ortiz !!!!

Kennedy picks first woman for state's U.S. attorney

http://www.necn.com/Boston/Politics/2009/05/19/Kennedy-picks-first-woman-for/1242748916.html

BOSTON (AP) - Sen. Edward Kennedy has recommended that President Obama nominate Carmen Ortiz, an assistant U.S. attorney who investigates and prosecutes white-collar crime, as the next U.S. attorney for Boston.

The Puerto Rican-born Ortiz would be the state's first Hispanic and first female U.S. attorney. She has worked as an assistant U.S. attorney in Boston for more than a decade.

As the state's senior senator, Kennedy traditionally has been given preference to nominating the federal government's chief law enforcement office in the state. Kennedy made the announcement Tuesday in a joint statement with Sen. John Kerry.

The president's appointment still would need to be confirmed by the Senate.

Ortiz would replace Michael Sullivan, a Republican who was appointed by President Bush in 2001 and left the job earlier this year.

Art Hostage comments:

Will any immunity agreement to recover the stolen Gardner art be published or will it remain a hollow promise ?????

If the Senate confirms Carmen Ortiz then she has the chance to really show sincerity by publishing an stolen Gardner art immunity agreement for all the world to see.

To dove-tail this the Gardner Museum can drop its "subject to good condition" clause and just offer the $5 million reward for the return of the Gardner art.

If we see these two things then those with the ability to end this thing may consider making contact.

Lets hope the motto will be:

"Gardner Heist, want the $5 million reward, Carmen get it"