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Real IRA may be planning fresh bombing campaign
Irish republican terrorist groups are plotting to take their campaign of violence to the British mainland, The Times has learnt.As police were strongly criticised over their response to the second bomb attack on the same police station in ten days by resurgent republican paramilitaries in South Armagh, anti-terrorist agencies have been monitoring key players who have been discussing plans to renew attacks in England. According to a security source, Liverpool, Birmingham and London all cities with significant Irish populations have been discussed as potential targets. Leaders of groups including the Real IRA and Continuity IRA both splinter groups from the Provisional IRA, the military wing of Sinn Féin have looked at how to use the travel chaos caused by the six-day shutdown of flight services to move personnel and materials into England via Irish ports. Security at the ports, where checks are not as stringent as at airports, has been a concern for some time. But the surge in traffic this week created an extra layer of intelligence-blindness' for the security agencies. Fears have risen that republican terrorists will strike in England during the general election campaign. The Provisional IRA last bombed England in 1996, first at South Quay in London Docklands, and later devastating Manchester city centre. The Real IRA planted bombs in London in 2000 and fired a rocket-propelled grenade at the headquarters of MI6. Security sources now acknowledge that some former Provisional bombmakers in South Armagh have come out of retirement'. The ability of republican terrorists to carry out two attacks on Newtownhamilton police station in ten days the latest on Thursday evening when a car bomb detonated outside the building has brought accusations that the police have no control of the border area. Posted by: lotp 2010-04-24 |
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