In 1999, following the disappearance of Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness, damning fresh evidence emerged that the location of the IRA arms stores had actually been leaked by a British informer.

Sinn Feiners die in Good Friday SacrificeFor months, the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement (committing both parties to the "total disamament of paramilitary organizations") had been locked in a bitter stalemate with Unionists insisting on "No Guns, No Government" and Sinn Féin insisting "No Government, No Guns". But behind the scenes, Adams and McGuinness were walking a deadly tight rope by committing themselves to peaceful and political pursuits of Republican goals far short of a thirty-two county All-Ireland state. Whereas the IRA Army Council foresaw a full vote from a convention on decommissioning at the very end of the peace process.

But when General de Chastleain's status reports stated that IRA Decommissioning had stalled, David Trimble claimed that the Republican movement had defaulted. He threatened the British Government with a stark choice: suspend the newly devolved institutions and re-impose direct rule from Westminister, or face a mass walk out from ten of the twelve Northern Ireland ministers.

Before this latest in a series of absolute deadlines could be reached, the IRA arm stores were suddenly discovered by the RUC. Seemingly, a betrayal in the Republican movement had resolved the political crisis at the cost of the lives of both Adams and McGuinness. But it later emerged, that the leaking of information had come from an unknown source inside the Army Council itself, paid for by the British Government.