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MI5 warns of growing threat from former IRA men and plan for 'spectacular' attack

By
CATHY HAYES,
IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Wednesday, September 8, 2010, 7:39 AM
Updated Wednesday, September 8, 2010, 8:17 AM

 

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Forensic experts examining a car bomb blast site, Derry City
Forensic experts examining a car bomb blast site, Derry City

As the numbers of bomb attacks in Northern Ireland continues to rise the MI5, and security and military sources, have warned that former Provisional IRA bomb makers have joined dissident republicans.

The head of MI5 revealed that the group has dealt with "more life-threatening investigations” in Northern Ireland that in the rest of the United Kingdom, so much so that they have increased their presence in the North by 33 percent.

In the first eight months of 2010 there were 49 bombings in Northern Ireland. This is to be compared to 22 incidents during the whole of 2009. Also many of the bombs used in the 2009 did not display the level of expertise and sophistication shown in the 2010 bombs.

Next month Bill Clinton will travel to Northern Ireland on a fact finding mission to monitor the fraying security situation.

Jonathan Evans, the director general of MI5, who told the Commons Intelligence and Security Committee: "What was not anticipated ... was the way in which the situation in Northern Ireland had deteriorated. The Service had considerably more what we would call priority, that is life-threatening, investigations in Northern Ireland than we do in the rest of Great Britain."

Last month it was claimed that dissident groups were making plans for an attack on mainland Britain with the Conservative Party conference taking place in Birmingham.

Patrick Mercer, former chairman of the Commons Sub-committee on Counter-Terrorism, said "There are three groups which are planning to do something to catapult themselves into the headlines before the party conference season. They wish to kill ... They have an aspiration to attack targets on the mainland, including the Conservative Party conference."

Yesterday Mr Mercer said that the dissident groups may have obtained the explosives from the Balkans. He added: "What appears to have happened is that hard-line republicans who could never be brought to the negotiating table had been sitting on their hands for the last 10 years waiting for the moment to rejoin their war."

A member of Oglaigh Na hEireann said, during an interview with the Irish News, "There are members of our organization who came from within the ranks of the IRA and had sat back and given Sinn Fein breathing space to make the [Good Friday] Agreement work and achieve their goals. That didn't happen.

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Posted by Sparklet on Sep 12, 2010, 05:46 AM EDT
I take your point warrenpoint, but big city violence exists everywhere. I know Ireland isn't perfect, but the majority of people in the south don't want the violence that bigotry promotes. Wartime violence is different from random, independent acts of violence.
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Posted by warrenpoint00 on Sep 11, 2010, 05:26 PM EDT
My lovely sparklet , did you not notice any thing at all when you were there. There has been more deaths through violence in Dublin and Limerick alone this last year than there has been in the whole nine counties of Ulster.
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Posted by Sparklet on Sep 11, 2010, 09:52 AM EDT
Powsmias comment is just ridiculous. If the "royal shitbags" were to get out, then there would be even more problems than there is now. If he thinks that a very high death toll would be worth it, then he's an absolute eejit. Mistakes have been made in the past but you can't just put them right by pretending they never happened and pulling out leaving the Catholics to the mercy of the Orangemen. Totally ridiculous, inane comment.
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Posted by Sparklet on Sep 11, 2010, 09:49 AM EDT
Have just returned from Ireland, and you definitely get the idea that it's two separate countries - everything about the south is different to the north. The politics, and the people. Most people I spoke to don't even want the hassle of the north, with all the problems that reunification would bring. The south is a very special place. Wonderful way of life, wonderful people who don't want to be associated with violence.
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Posted by SeamusMor on Sep 10, 2010, 02:23 PM EDT
Ballots not bullets. Make babies not bombs. Procreate and educate a nationalist majority!
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Posted by Eire32Counties on Sep 10, 2010, 08:21 AM EDT
I agree Warrenpoint. To all TRUE Irish there is no North/South. Only 1 Ireland with Dublin as its' capital.
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Posted by kurtjohnson on Sep 09, 2010, 09:35 PM EDT
I'm sure this MI5 propaganda has nothing to do with increasing MI5's funding and power.
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Posted by warrenpoint00 on Sep 09, 2010, 07:16 PM EDT
There is no "North /South" anymore,never was at any rate if you are truly Irish. Ratified under the Good Friday agreement all of the people of Ireland now have a voice in what happens on all of the island of Ireland.
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Posted by plasticpaddy on Sep 09, 2010, 05:09 PM EDT
SouthernPride, do you live in the South of Ireland? I did the majority of my years on this earth (23 to be precise) and I never heard a word uttered to that effect, quite the opposite actually.
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Posted by dan Breen on Sep 09, 2010, 04:46 PM EDT
There will be no real peace until all five thousand british troops and MI5 & MI6 are out of Ireland.
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Posted by CarolineRyan on Sep 09, 2010, 10:15 AM EDT
These attacks are the remnants of an older paramilitary crowd whose whole identity is caught up in fighting and hatred. But their day is ending. They are getting older, and Sinn Fein and the Northern people will find a way to stem the flow, until these fools are finally retired from the old game. - Caroline Oceana Ryan, author - AN OLD CASTLE STANDING ON A FORD: One Yank's Life in an Almost Peaceful Belfast (Eloquent Books)
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Posted by Southernpride on Sep 09, 2010, 06:12 AM EDT
People in the South of Ireland look upon the North as a lawless place full of Catholic and Protestant, sectarian terrorists. The South has sold out the North twice. The want nothing to do with it
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Posted by Dublinjas on Sep 08, 2010, 05:16 PM EDT
Who in their right mind would want to join a Country that has a Buffoon like Brian Bankrupt Cowen and idiots like the Greens and ministers like the ever Broadening extremely well fed failure Mary Harney running it, Who votes for these idiots ??
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Posted by krissangel on Sep 08, 2010, 12:50 PM EDT
The troubles SHOULD BE over, the people of Ireland accepted the Good Friday agreement. You can't back out of the deal once you've signed it. Take what you have and be happy, or emigrate South if you want to live in the Irish-ruled portion. Violence is NOT the answer; they're killing innocents who have no power or authority to negotiate.
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Posted by justhimself on Sep 08, 2010, 12:41 PM EDT
The troubles are over, the people of Ireland acept the good friday agreement . The majority of catholics in N.I. do not want unification, Dublin ''DOLE'' is not enough for them. The magority of taxpayers in the republic, will not accept the huge burden of N.I. entitlements. It is a burden that the english taxpayer is stuck with. English pole show they would gladly hand it over to Dublin......Now that our British doler's have all the time on their hands, bar stool republicans, they can plan to terorise their fellow citizans, I would love to see them rounded up, not put in prison, but an insane asylum for life..
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Posted by Valhalla on Sep 08, 2010, 12:14 PM EDT
Unfortunately the Troubles will never go away until Ireland is whole again. I am not one for violence (for the most part) but I think it is time for Ireland to gain back what rightfully belongs to Ireland and the people. Tiocfaidh ár lá!!!
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Posted by maloney on Sep 08, 2010, 12:01 PM EDT
protestants leaving bombs in Catholic school yards. Any invasion from another country into a peaceful country should be fought with all your mite for as long as it takes as long as you are able to fight. Invasion & legal immigration are not the same. ILLEGAL immigration is invasion.
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Posted by Schenck2 on Sep 08, 2010, 10:38 AM EDT
My roots are in No. Ireland but we probably will be avoiding it next summer. Who wants to get involved if 'the troubles' are returning. I'm so tired of the mentality that kept me off the sidewalk around the Catholic Church as a child. God is not coming back for a dismembered church body. Get over yourself and work with others. There may be a former Catholic or Protestant next door in Heaven, if you make it there.
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Posted by Ajreaper on Sep 08, 2010, 09:32 AM EDT
People wish to use explosives and guns against whomever is unlucky enough to be around when they decide to use them and you two half wits makes excuses for them? These people should be hunted relentlessly and exterminated like the vermin they are.
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Posted by judiron on Sep 08, 2010, 09:18 AM EDT
I think Bill Clinton should stay home and mind his own business. That goes for England too. Leave Ireland alone. government interfering, like America does all the time, is never good. I've traveled to Southern Ireland, which is beautiful, doesn't seem to have any trouble with England not putting their nose into their business and don't need Bill Clinton either.
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Posted by powsmias on Sep 08, 2010, 09:02 AM EDT
wouldn't be a problem if the royal shtbags would get the fk out
 


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