ABC News is reporting that the Royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton could be a possible target of dissident republican terrorists who have committed more than 40 terror attacks over the last year.
The ABC investigative team quotes Mark Hamilton, chief superintendent of the police service in Northern Ireland that "It is fair to assume that people are worried about an attack on the mainland," said
There have been no specific threats targeting the royal wedding but officials told ABC News that there is "concrete intelligence" that the real IRA are attempting to extend their presence beyond Northern Ireland to London.
Officials heading up the counter domestic, MI-5 have recently increased their surveillance of potential Irish terrorist leaders and raised the threat level of such groups from moderate to substantial.
"There is a massive effort by the intelligence services and the police to track these people down," said Superintendent Hamilton.
Professor Martyn Frampton, a history lecturer at Queen Mary, University of London, and the author of a new report "The return of the Militants: Violent Dissident Republicanism” said such dissident groups could strike at any time.
"I think these people would have no compunction at all about carrying out an attack, if they could, on an event like the royal wedding," he said.
“Attacks on the mainland, particularly here in London, I think, remain the holy grail for these organizations," said Frampton in an interview with Good Morning America yesterday.
"They would say it is an opportunity to target the British establishment," Frampton added.
The latest dissident attack occurred on April 6 when a 25-year-old police officer died after a bomb exploded under his car. Constable Ronan Kerr was killed in his neighborhood in Omagh in County Tyrone.
Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny has stated that co-operation between the police forces North and South is at its highest level ever at present.
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5 Comments
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.peterson | Apr 19, 2011, 03:55 PM EDT
The IRA dissidents should "Get a Life", not take any !!
biggles008 | Apr 19, 2011, 01:09 PM EDT
You have head cases that will target anything.
antoman | Apr 19, 2011, 11:54 AM EDT
Perhaps the headline should read "ABC News reports British worried Irish dissidents will not target royal wedding- VIDEO".Have you considered that the Irish are not the least bit interested in the wedding?
donal1951 | Apr 19, 2011, 10:42 AM EDT
One would think the dissident IRA, if this report is true, would get it through their heads that the modern British monarchy has no political power and that there will be Irish and Irish Americans watching the spectacle on TV and in person. Let "Wills and Kate" have their wedding in peace and help the UK, and Irish workers there, rake in the tourist dollars. If the people of the UK decide in time to go with a republic and get rid of the royal family peacefully, that's their perogative. Frankly, the royals in the Scandanavian countries provide a good example by being low-key and relatively inexpensive to maintain. If I recall correctly, one of the Scandanavian kings some years ago had to produce ID along with his credit card to use the card to buy a Christmas present for his son.
bunkerhill | Apr 19, 2011, 10:25 AM EDT
ABC is American TV at it's worst, thoroughly slanted against anything Irish. While we fight for human rights all over the world, it was okay for British Troops to fire into an innocent group of people, including elderly and children, killing thirteen including a young boy on the sidelines. Also ABC has not shown any of the enormous riots occurring in London, with windows being broken, fires being set and altogether general mayhem. The people shown are British, unhappy with the idle royals. Most Americans keep their remote handy and tune out when this royal nonsense comes on. If they are so worried, why don't they curtail all the nonsense and give the money to their unhappy citizens. Did ABC say anything about why the queen wants to make a trip to Ireland? I wouldn't know as I never watch the channel. I am surprised they even had news as their news is usually the sports scores and the latest celebrity going into rehab. God Bless America.