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


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

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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.


Nster.com


21 Comments

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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.
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.
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.
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.
Ballots not bullets. Make babies not bombs. Procreate and educate a nationalist majority!
I agree Warrenpoint. To all TRUE Irish there is no North/South. Only 1 Ireland with Dublin as its' capital.
I'm sure this MI5 propaganda has nothing to do with increasing MI5's funding and power.
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.
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.
There will be no real peace until all five thousand british troops and MI5 & MI6 are out of Ireland.
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)
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
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 ??
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.
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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