FANATICS ANGERED BY PEACE
FANATICS ANGERED BY PEACE PROCESS
The Real IRA was set up in October 1997 after hardliners walked out of an IRA army convention on Co. Donegal in protest at the Provo's renewed ceasefire and peace strategy.
The Real IRA's political was the 32-County Sovereignty Committee, though the party denied this.
The party's most high-profile member was Bernadette Sands-McKevitt, the sister of IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands.
Sands-McKevitt is married to Michael McKevitt, a former Provisional, alleged to be the Real IRA's leader, who is currently on trial in '' Dublin facing charges of directing terrorism.
The Omagh bomb was the single worst atrocity of the Troubles.
Two weeks before Omagh it planted a 500lb bomb in the main shopping area in Banbridge, Co Down. The warning was inadequate and 33 people and two RUC officers were injured. Such was the outrage over Omagh that the Real IRA issued a statement within days saying it was suspending all "military operations". However, it re-emerged in February 2000.
In September 2000 when they fired an RPG rocket at MI6 headquarters in London and in March 2001 they planted a bomb outside BBC Television Centre in London.
The last person murdered by the Real IRA was father-of-four David Caldwell, a civilian construction worker at a territorial army camp in Derry in August.
The Real IRA was set up in October 1997 after hardliners walked out of an IRA army convention on Co. Donegal in protest at the Provo's renewed ceasefire and peace strategy.
The Real IRA's political was the 32-County Sovereignty Committee, though the party denied this.
The party's most high-profile member was Bernadette Sands-McKevitt, the sister of IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands.
Sands-McKevitt is married to Michael McKevitt, a former Provisional, alleged to be the Real IRA's leader, who is currently on trial in '' Dublin facing charges of directing terrorism.
The Omagh bomb was the single worst atrocity of the Troubles.
Two weeks before Omagh it planted a 500lb bomb in the main shopping area in Banbridge, Co Down. The warning was inadequate and 33 people and two RUC officers were injured. Such was the outrage over Omagh that the Real IRA issued a statement within days saying it was suspending all "military operations". However, it re-emerged in February 2000.
In September 2000 when they fired an RPG rocket at MI6 headquarters in London and in March 2001 they planted a bomb outside BBC Television Centre in London.
The last person murdered by the Real IRA was father-of-four David Caldwell, a civilian construction worker at a territorial army camp in Derry in August.
Further Information
Publisher: THE MIRROR
Ref: TM/176
Published Date: 21-Oct-02
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