BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) -- The Colombian military has arrested a fourth Irish citizen
near rebel-control zone in the south of the country.

His arrest comes after three Irishmen were at Bogota airport on suspicion of being
members of the Irish Republican Army who were training FARC guerrillas.

The fourth man. Said to be 48-years-old, was arrested at a roadblock near Balsillas,
just outside the rebel-controlled zone, but no details about what charges he may face
have been released.

Armed forces spokeswoman Consuelo Garcia said: "When they captured him he said
he was an English teacher, in addition to being an electrical engineer, and that he was
giving English classes to peasants in the demilitarised zone."

She told The Associated Press news agency that his passport registered visits to
Nicaragua, Venezuela and Panama and that he had entered Colombia on a 60-day
tourist visa.

He has been taken to Bogota where he will be handed over to Colmbia's state
security and immigration police.

FARC, or the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, were given a swathe of
territory in the south as part of ongoing peace efforts.

Revelations that IRA members could be training FARC forces have undermined
peace initiatives in both Colombia and Northern Ireland where the IRA is on
cease-fire.

In Northern Ireland, unionist politicians have expressed concerns that the IRA may
be using international connections to build up its arsenal while publicly saying it will
put beyond use the weapons it currently has.

The Irish connection has raised fears in Colombia that FARC may be planning an
urban bombing campaign.

U.S. officials are also expressing growing concern about FARC's use of its
Switzerland-sized sanctuary, ceded to the group by President Andres Pastrana at the
outset of peace talks three years ago.

In addition to suspected military training for members, the group is believed to be
using the zone to harbour kidnap victims, organize illegal drug operations and
prepare military attacks.

The three men arrested earlier this month remain in custody and could face a trial for
conducting FARC training.