NEW YORK BOSTON |#Popular: Irish Celebrity Gossip Irish Pubs Irish Festivals Irish Roots Irish Entertainment Offbeat Irish

Home Page > News > Fears that Northern Irish police officer was murdered by new terrorist group

Fears that Northern Irish police officer was murdered by new terrorist group

Concerns grow over new dissident group

PATRICK O'BRIEN,

IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Wednesday, April 6, 2011, 9:25 AM

Updated Wednesday, April 6, 2011, 11:41 AM

Larger Text

E-mail

18 Comments

Constable Ronan Kerr who was the victim of the recent dissident bomb in Omagh

Concern is growing in Northern Ireland that a new dissident Republican group may have carried out the murder of police constable Ronan Kerr.

Both the Continuity IRA and the Real IRA have bomb making experience of the kind used in the attack, but neither group has claimed responsibility for the murder of the 25 year old constable.

Now, according to a report in the Herald, fears are growing that a group of disaffected republicans that have recently left the mainstream IRA in Tyrone may be responsible for the attack.

"We have real concerns about that area. There are serious concerns about leakage," a source with knowledge of intelligence assessments told the Herald.

The source could not confirm if those who have left the IRA have joined with one of the dissident groups.

A senior republican quoted in the Herald suggested that the dissidents may have been taken aback by the storm of condemnation that followed the weekend killing.

"It's interesting thus far that nobody has popped their head up to defend what happened or explain what happened," the source was quoted as saying. "I don't think they anticipated the backlash. They probably hadn't thought about it. It may give them cause to think," he said.

Nster.com

E-mail

18 Comments

See all comments

GeorgeDillon | Apr 09, 2011, 03:46 PM EDT

O'Brien is writing the complete nonsense we have come to expect from Irish Central columnists. The idea that those who killed this policeman are surprised that their action has been widely condemned suggests that O'Brien doesn't have a clue about Ireland. Is O'Brien so out of touch that he thinks people were going to cheer this killing? Wake Up, O''Brien, you'll never be a journalist if you continue to write such unthinking garbage. Though on second thoughts, maybe you will make a journalist even with those standards, an Irish journalist.

Report abuse

GeorgeDillon | Apr 09, 2011, 03:41 PM EDT

"A United Ireland is in its future not in its past...Even the Ireland we do have the 26 counties is far from united...Removing a line on a map doesn't necessarily mean a united Ireland...David Hayes descendant of John Devoy". Without dealing with the merits of the assertion about a United Ireland, which may or may not be true, I am struck by the stupidity of someone who thinks that the identity of his great-great-grandfather gives him authority to speak. I mean you, Irishphotograph. My great great grandfather would have said you're an idiot.

Report abuse

FallsRNat | Apr 07, 2011, 02:02 PM EDT

I think that you have to be pretty gutless if you think that the loyalists are responsible for the murder, the only side who continue to wage war are the dissident republicans happily living in their rat holes of leitrim & louth. Nobody in the north will countenance a return to the bad old days of the troubles, it's time for peace, if the violence persists, the 1 thing that will happen is to drive a wedge between the northern & southern catholics, once that happens, there will never be a united ireland.

Report abuse

Searlit | Apr 06, 2011, 08:19 PM EDT

It could have been dissident Loyalists that don't want peace to succeed, either.

Report abuse

Dublinjas | Apr 06, 2011, 05:38 PM EDT

JeffGallagher and EireinAmerica, Would it make you happier to hate a Unionist rather than a dissident republican ??. What a bunch of Bigots.

Report abuse

FallsRNat | Apr 06, 2011, 05:32 PM EDT

The loyalists are quite of building car bombs as the murder of Rosemary Nelson & attempted murder of the IRA's ardoyne commander shows, however, their motive operandi, does separate them from this type of bombing & only the most hardened republican would try to pin the blame on them. They have quite a few members who aren't totally sold on the peace process, that's why it is imperative that we root out & get the people responsible for Ronan's murder. After all of the condemnation from even senior PIRA members it is hardly surprisaing that the CIRA/RIRA haven't owned up, they & the few disaffected provos from Armagh/Tyrone are the last of a dwindling band of malcontents who if they really took a long hard look at themselves & their achievements will see that thanks to them a UI is further away then ever. For god's sake GO!

Report abuse

citizen69 | Apr 06, 2011, 03:17 PM EDT

On a slightly different note... I wonder will Americans now realize why naming an alcoholic drink an "Irish Car Bomb" is so offensive to many people in Ireland?

Report abuse

Irishphotograph | Apr 06, 2011, 02:51 PM EDT

A United Ireland is in its future not in its past...Even the Ireland we do have the 26 counties is far from united...Removing a line on a map doesn't necessarily mean a united Ireland...David Hayes descendant of John Devoy (IRB)

Report abuse

moygannon | Apr 06, 2011, 02:00 PM EDT

As long punishment for crime is frivlous where murder, kidnapping, extortion are treated like misdemeanours the mayhem will continue.

Report abuse

PhlutiePhan | Apr 06, 2011, 01:19 PM EDT

The goal has never changed. Maybe, the tactics have changed. The provisionals never have wanted an Irish Republic. They want a socialist state in line with Cuba. The arms are coming from Iran who buys them from China. If you read Malachi Martin, he will give you the "blueprint" for the new world order which is socialist in nature and includes a large amount of clergy who see the confluence of Marx and Lenin with Teilhard de Chardin. You have an American pesident who is soon to visit and who has a likeminded new "paradigm" for world development.

Report abuse

citizen69 | Apr 06, 2011, 12:23 PM EDT

It's very unlikely it would be dissident loyalists as suggested in comments below. They never built this kind of car bomb designed to explode under the driver. If a loyalist group wanted to kill a catholic they would't pick a Northern Ireland police officer. The M.O. is very much republican, they have targeted may catholic police officers in the past couple of years with this type of bomb but they've failed to detonate or have been discovered or in the case of constable Peadar Heffron, survived the blast but unfortunately lost his legs.

Report abuse

chicoirlandes | Apr 06, 2011, 12:02 PM EDT

Whoever , indeed whatever they were, the fact is , these people are dinosaurs, there is no place for them or their apologists in todays Ireland. @ Seagreen, luckily, there are very few people with your attitude , or else there would be no hope.

Report abuse

Sparklet | Apr 06, 2011, 11:58 AM EDT

JeffGallagher - occurred to me too that it could be Unionists. But whatever name they use, they're all the same.

Report abuse

Sparklet | Apr 06, 2011, 11:57 AM EDT

Seagreen, there is every hope for Ireland. It's the best place in the world and the people are unique! And maybe they wont admit responsibility because they realise the strength of opinion against them. Shot themselves in the foot?

Report abuse

chicoirlandes | Apr 06, 2011, 11:34 AM EDT

It is time these murdering scum were stopped, I have one question for the scum who planted this bomb, "Just who are you representing ?" NOT me or the vast majority of the people of this Island. Your day has GONE!

Report abuse