Terrorism – Page 15 – Slugger O'Toole

“ONH and the other dissident groups cannot succeed where, as they point out themselves, the Provos failed”

Pete Baker on November 5, 2010, 3:36 pm

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Unlike the Guardian’s interview with the Real IRA, Brian Rowan’s interview with leadership representatives of Oglaigh na hEireann (ONH) was face-to-face and, as he admits, unnerving. From the interview in the Belfast Telegraph Rowan: Let me talk about contacts, quiet dialogue, involving mediators talking both to your organisation and British and Irish officials. Do you recognise that description? ONH: I recognise the description, yes. Rowan: I’m told it’s at two levels — alternatives to punishment attacks, and exploring a way forward …

Body found in hunt for Peter Wilson

Turgon on November 2, 2010, 4:37 pm

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Another body has been found in the saga of the hunt for the disappeared. This time it may be Peter Wilson whom the IRA murdered in 1973 and appear to have buried on the beach at Waterfoot in the Glens of Antrim. The horrible mixture of hope, regret and bereavement will no doubt be repeated for Mr. Wilson’s family. It seems strange that the information about the whereabouts of these murdered people comes out in drips and drabs: whether this …

“They need now to come forward and explain what warped logic they had for these actions.”

Pete Baker on November 2, 2010, 1:41 pm

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In the Belfast Telegraph, one of those targetted in last night’s pipe-bomb attacks, the chair of the Felon’s Club in west Belfast Liam Shannon speculates that “I think it’s likely to be loyalists”. Is it? The BBC separately reports that Mr Shannon said he did not want to speculate on who was responsible but appealed for no retaliation. And today there are further security alerts in west and north Belfast. Adds UTV report on security alerts. Pete Baker

NI Justice Minister: “This is exactly the type of news Northern Ireland needs to avoid.”

Pete Baker on October 31, 2010, 1:27 pm

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Army bomb experts have made safe a viable device containing over 40kg of homemade explosive material after a two-day security alert in Lurgan. And a second explosive device has been found inside a vehicle at the long-stay car park at Belfast International airport. Assistant Chief Constable Duncan McCausland said both devices “had the potential to cause injury and damage”. “They were left in places used by the public and with no regard for the public; it is thanks to the vigilance …

“You have to ask yourself – are they (the leadership) the only ones allowed to write books?”

Pete Baker on October 29, 2010, 3:56 pm

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On Thursday the International Representative for west Belfast, Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams, and his party colleague the Northern Ireland deputy First Minister, may have been expressing their concern at a “crisis meeting” about an apparent increasing number of suicides in the area… But they don’t yet seem to have found time to comment on the suicide of a former comrade. Former Provisional IRA member Gerard ‘Whitey’ Bradley’s body was found in a car parked at a marina near Carrickfergus Castle on Wednesday. Bradley, with the assistance …

“they are doing nothing which the Provisionals didn’t do before them and with the same political rationale”

Pete Baker on October 27, 2010, 3:32 pm

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Somewhat related to this previous post. In the Belfast Telegraph, Eamonn McCann makes the point I remember almost breaking down as I spoke as the realisation hit me that the difference between Ned McCann and Patsy Gillespie was nothing except 25 years. Just as the difference between Patsy and Gerry McConnell was 20 years. Oglaigh na hEireann hadn’t sucked the idea from their thumbs. This consideration, the fact that precedent is provided by the actions of some who have since …

Brian Arthurs: “Republicans cannot see Irish unity in any of this.”

Pete Baker on October 24, 2010, 5:46 pm

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The ongoing saga of “prominent Co Tyrone republican” Brian Arthurs’ legal challenge to the ruling that he and his wife should stand trial in a non-jury court, on charges of converting criminal property and obtaining a money transfer by deception, received an update on Friday. A panel of High Court judges had rejected Arthurs’ legal challenge in June this year. On Friday the Irish News reported that “those judges [had] agreed to certify two questions to be put before the [UK] Supreme Court on points …

“We are raising this case now with David Ford Justice Minister, Mr Chris Smith US Congress, the Irish Government, all interested non-governmental offices and civil liberties organisations, local political parties here and with the Court Service”

Pete Baker on October 20, 2010, 10:50 pm

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Apologies for the length of the post title, but I wanted to make sure I had included everyone… A 25-year-old Queen’s University politics guaduate walked free from Belfast Crown Court today after the prosecution offered no evidence on charges relating to the fire-bombing of Toys R Us Boucher Road store on 1 November 2006. There had been a series of fire-bomb attacks at the time. Since then, the circumstances of those “micro-organisations” appear to have changed… As the UTV report reveals, it’s not necessarily the end of the …

PSNI lobby for more than £200m of special funding from the Treasury reserve

Pete Baker on October 18, 2010, 6:23 pm

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The Irish government is commited to providing adequate resources to tackle the continuing republican paramilitary threat. The Garda Commissioner agrees with the assessment of the Home Secretary, Theresa May, that that threat has increased. And with the research telling us “that concepts of the renegade groups as something ‘other’ are too simplistic”, the BBC’s Vincent Kearney reports that the PSNI Chief Constable, Matt Baggott, has been lobbying for access to “more than £200m of special funding from the treasury reserve during the …

“We continue to work closely with our colleagues in the Police Service of Northern Ireland and in the Security Service…”

Pete Baker on October 11, 2010, 11:31 pm

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In addition to the weekend arrests and subsequent charges against members of still-violent republican groups there has been a seizure of weapons and explosives. But, as Roy Greenslade argues at the Guardian, there are questions for reporters to ask Some informed correspondents have been asking questions about this strange situation. But what is required is commitment from more newspapers to force the authorities to act more decisively and effectively. Similarly, British readers need to be informed, so the popular papers …

“concepts of the renegade groups as something ‘other’ are too simplistic”

Pete Baker on October 10, 2010, 3:51 pm

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The BBC’s Jim Fitzpatrick adds his thoughts on the University of Liverpool survey noted previously. From Jim Fitzpatrick We also learn this week that 14% of nationalists have sympathy with the objectives of groups like the Real IRA. Again, this piece of research challenges the conventional wisdom that these people enjoy no support. It is credible work and can’t be dismissed. But it is a bit of a jump to read the research as suggesting that 14% of nationalists “support” …

PSNI: “We will seek to make it difficult for them”.

Pete Baker on October 7, 2010, 5:09 pm

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The BBC reports that the Policing Board have been told that the PSNI are to launch “a major security operation against dissident republicans over the coming days”. From the BBC report At the October meeting of the policing board, PSNI Deputy Chief Constable Judith Gillespie said that the public may face disruption as a result of the operations. “Over the coming days you will see an increase in police activity across Northern Ireland as we continue our efforts to prevent …

“One of the mantras of the peace process is that ‘dissident’ republicans have no support…”

Pete Baker on October 6, 2010, 6:32 pm

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The BBC has some details of a University of Liverpool survey – The ESRC Northern Ireland 2010 Westminster Election Survey – which asked some questions about peoples attitudes towards still-violent republican paramilitaries. From the BBC report Professor Tonge said the research also highlighted the difference in perception of the scale of the threat between the two communities. “They were offered three options, major, minor or no threat. A majority of Protestants , 53 percent described the dissidents as a major threat,” he said. …

“We will all play our part – however long it takes, whatever it takes in bringing that threat to an end”

Pete Baker on October 5, 2010, 12:08 pm

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As the Irish Times notes, at a seminar in Belfast yesterday the Irish Justice Minister, Dermot Ahern, commited his government to providing adequate resources to tackle the continuing republican paramilitary threat. And last night those republican paramilitaries are believed to have been responsible for a car bomb in the UK City of Culture for 2013. Interestingly, the owner of a hotel near the site of the explosion is quoted in this iol report Mr [Garvan] O’Doherty said there would be setbacks, but …

Garda Commissioner agrees with MI5 assessment

Pete Baker on September 28, 2010, 5:09 pm

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As RTÉ reports Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy has said that he believes an attack by dissident republicans in Britain is a strong possibility. Commissioner Murphy said he agreed with the assessment of the British Home Secretary and the head of MI5 in the UK that the level of threat from dissident republicans was now moderate to substantial. He also said that while the intent has always been there, the capability within groups such as the Continuity IRA, the Real IRA …

Arrest over murder at Mid Ulster Hospital

Turgon on September 27, 2010, 12:07 pm

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The BBC are reporting that a 54 year old man from Swatragh has been arrested over the 1981 murder of John Proctor who was murdered in the Mid Ulster Hospital car park after visiting his wife and newborn son. There have been arrests over previous terrorist murders in the past without prosecutions necessarily following from it: notably over the Claudy murders in 2005. However, the fact that the police seem to be willing to arrest someone at least gives hope …

Threat level to Great Britain from Irish-related terrorism raised from ‘moderate’ to ‘substantial’

Pete Baker on September 24, 2010, 4:42 pm

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As iol reports, the UK Home Secretary, Theresa May, has stated that “The director-general of the Security Service has informed me that he has raised the threat to Great Britain from Irish-related terrorism from moderate to substantial, meaning that an attack is a strong possibility.” As the statement notes The Security Service has raised the threat level from moderate to substantial. This means an Irish-related terrorist attack is a strong possibility. The system of threat levels aims to keep you …

MI5: “We have seen a persistent rise in terrorist activity and ambition in Northern Ireland over the last three years”

Pete Baker on September 17, 2010, 5:35 pm

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The Irish Times has some interesting quotes from the head of MI5, Jonathan Evans. Worth looking back in the Slugger archive for a reminder of his optimism in 2007. And checking more recently on what the Real IRA had to say. From the Irish Times report Mr Evans said the assumption in 2007 was that the residual threat from terrorism in Northern Ireland was low and likely to decline further as time went on and as the new constitutional arrangements under the …

“The more that is out in the open, the more the chances of success are reduced.”

Pete Baker on August 14, 2010, 2:17 pm

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Northern Ireland deputy First Minister, Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness, refused to elaborate on his claim this week that “some of these dissident [republican] groups, I know for a fact, have been involved in discussions with both the Irish and the British government in recent times.” As Martina Purdy noted, he’s off on “his August holidays” after dropping the “verbal grenade” – or “black propaganda” as Des Dalton of Republican Sinn Féin called it. The Sunday Times journalist who last weekend reported …

“I do not have any great time for Owen Paterson.”

Pete Baker on August 10, 2010, 12:24 pm

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So sayeth the International Representative for west Belfast, the Right Honourable Gerard Adams, MP, MLA – as quoted in the Belfast Telegraph. As opposed to the time he does have for his unelected former speech-writer, Jonathan Powell. And I’m sure the feeling is mutual… The occasion being the apparent disagreement over talking to dissident republicans “the political groups linked to some armed republican faction”. But they’re “traitors”, Gerry, “imposters”. “Criminal gangs whom [you] consider has links with MI5″. “Micro-groups” with …