DIEHARDS WHO WON'T GIVE PEACE A CHANCE
DIEHARDS WHO WON'T GIVE PEACE A CHANCE
THE murder of Protestant construction worker David Caldwell at a Londonderry TA base last week, is believed to be the first killing by the Real IRA, since the Omagh atrocity in 1998. Sunday Life's STEPHEN BREEN profiles the two dissident republican terror gangs - the Real IRA and Continuity IRA - who remain determined to destroy the peace process.
WHILE many of the Real IRA's leading members are now languishing in jails, the renegade republicans have been responsible for a series of gun and bomb attacks across Ulster, since the 1998 Omagh outrage. The group - largely made up of discontented ex-Provos and younger, diehard republicans - has committed terrorists, based in the republican strongholds of west Belfast, south Down, south Armagh and Co Londonderry.
Although the security services - on both sides of the border - have helped thwart Real IRA attacks, with a series of raids on the group's arms dumps, there is no doubt the group still poses a threat to Ulster's fragile peace process. But, despite these recent success, cops believe the group's committed members are always on standby, to use the weapons, and explosives at their disposal.
Since the Omagh bombing, the group has been implicated in explosions, mortar attacks and shootings, including a wave of bomb attacks in London. Police feared it was only a matter of time before someone lost their life, as a result of the increasingly violent activities of the terror group, who had vowed to collapse the peace process, when they walked away from the Provos, in 1997.
And, a senior security source told Sunday Life, the people of Northern Ireland should prepare itself for more acts of terror from the militant republican group. "It was only a matter of time before the Real IRA murdered someone, Because the booby-trap devices are very crude, but clearly designed to kill," said the source. "The security clampdown after the Omagh bomb outrage, hit the Real IRA, and they lost all sorts of equipment, men and support bases.
"But, it wasn't long before they were re-arming, recruiting, and planning new operations, just to let people know they hadn't gone away
"They have always vowed to continue their violent campaign, because they felt betrayed by the mainstream republican movement. "They really do believe they can bring about a united Ireland, but have nowhere near the same amount of weapons as the Provos.
"The Provos already sent a message out to the group, with the killing of Joe O'Connor, in Ballymurphy, and don't be surprised if they take action again, if the Real IRA leaders decide to launch more murderous operations."
It is believed the Real IRA has around 100 members, but it also lost a number of members to the Continuity IRA and INLA, after the Omagh disaster.
THE murder of Protestant construction worker David Caldwell at a Londonderry TA base last week, is believed to be the first killing by the Real IRA, since the Omagh atrocity in 1998. Sunday Life's STEPHEN BREEN profiles the two dissident republican terror gangs - the Real IRA and Continuity IRA - who remain determined to destroy the peace process.
WHILE many of the Real IRA's leading members are now languishing in jails, the renegade republicans have been responsible for a series of gun and bomb attacks across Ulster, since the 1998 Omagh outrage. The group - largely made up of discontented ex-Provos and younger, diehard republicans - has committed terrorists, based in the republican strongholds of west Belfast, south Down, south Armagh and Co Londonderry.
Although the security services - on both sides of the border - have helped thwart Real IRA attacks, with a series of raids on the group's arms dumps, there is no doubt the group still poses a threat to Ulster's fragile peace process. But, despite these recent success, cops believe the group's committed members are always on standby, to use the weapons, and explosives at their disposal.
Since the Omagh bombing, the group has been implicated in explosions, mortar attacks and shootings, including a wave of bomb attacks in London. Police feared it was only a matter of time before someone lost their life, as a result of the increasingly violent activities of the terror group, who had vowed to collapse the peace process, when they walked away from the Provos, in 1997.
And, a senior security source told Sunday Life, the people of Northern Ireland should prepare itself for more acts of terror from the militant republican group. "It was only a matter of time before the Real IRA murdered someone, Because the booby-trap devices are very crude, but clearly designed to kill," said the source. "The security clampdown after the Omagh bomb outrage, hit the Real IRA, and they lost all sorts of equipment, men and support bases.
"But, it wasn't long before they were re-arming, recruiting, and planning new operations, just to let people know they hadn't gone away
"They have always vowed to continue their violent campaign, because they felt betrayed by the mainstream republican movement. "They really do believe they can bring about a united Ireland, but have nowhere near the same amount of weapons as the Provos.
"The Provos already sent a message out to the group, with the killing of Joe O'Connor, in Ballymurphy, and don't be surprised if they take action again, if the Real IRA leaders decide to launch more murderous operations."
It is believed the Real IRA has around 100 members, but it also lost a number of members to the Continuity IRA and INLA, after the Omagh disaster.
Further Information
Publisher: SUNDAY LIFE
Ref: SL/133
Published Date: 04-Aug-02
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