ade bomb belonged to Continuity IRA, a breakaway group from the Irish Republican Army, the BBC said. Earlier in the day, the BBC said an IRA source had denied speculation that the guerrilla group had split over the recent spate of violence in Northern Ireland. The IRA had previously denied responsibility for two recent car-bomb blasts in separate Northern Irish towns. The British and Irish governments expelled Sinn Fein, the IRA's political wing, from Northern Ireland peace talks after blaming the IRA for the two blasts. The IRA, which has been fighting to end British rule in Northern Ireland for most of the past 30 years, has said its current "cessation of military operations" remains intact.