2010 Newry car bombing
2010 Newry car bombing | |
---|---|
Part of the UTC) | |
Attack type | Car bomb |
Deaths | 0 |
Injured | 0 |
The 2010 Newry car bombing occurred on the night of 22 February 2010. It
, damaging the building and others in the area. There were no fatalities or injuries.Bombing
The
According to the BBC, it is thought that this was the first "large car bomb" to have exploded in Northern Ireland since the 2000 bombing of the Stewartstown police station.[2] Other car bombs have failed to explode, or have only partially exploded.[2]
The bombing is thought to have been an attempt to undo the 2010 Hillsborough Castle Agreement, although the fact that it came two weeks after the Agreement was signed is thought to reflect the militants' limited operational capacity.[2]
According to Fachtna Murphy, Commissioner of the Garda Síochána, this was "the first bomb that exploded in the North in 10 or 11 years."[6]
A warning call was made prior to the explosion, no one was hurt in the attack, several buildings were damaged, and arrests were made, including that of a man suspected of driving the taxi used to transport the bomb. Local residents and politicians expressed shock and anger over the attack.[7]
Aftermath
The next day the area was sealed off as police investigated. Shops were closed and traffic backed up on the motorway between Newry and Belfast.[2] The large explosion caused "traffic chaos" across the city.[8]
The church was reopened in February 2011, after £350,000 of repairs and restoration.[9]
Arrests
The Real Irish Republican Army was blamed for the bombing in Newry. On 27 May, a 32-year-old man was arrested for the bombing. A day before that a 51-year-old man appeared in the same court charged with the car bombing.[10]
A 45-year-old man was jailed in 2017 for being a member of the
Responses and impact
Hillary Clinton, the United States Secretary of State, condemned the bombing but insisted that it would "not destabilise the peace process".[2]
The Newry car bombing is taken as evidence that "hardline
The operational strength of dissident republican groups as demonstrated by this bombing continues to concern Irish security forces as of September 2010. According to Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy, "A bomb exploded in Newry some months ago and that's the first bomb that exploded in the North since Omagh. That is significant in itself in that it tells us they are endeavouring to improve their capability all the time."[17]
Politically, the attack was alleged by the Belfast Telegraph to have led some loyalists "to believe the older leadership called it wrong—that they decommissioned far too soon."[18]
Writing in the
See also
- Timeline of Real Irish Republican Army actions
- Timeline of the Northern Ireland Troubles and peace process
- List of bombings during the Northern Ireland Troubles
References
- ^ Bowcott, Owen (2010). "Newry court bombing: government denies complacency". The Guardian.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Sheer miracle" that Newry court bomb did not kill, [1], BBC News, 2010
- ^ Arnold, Adam, Appeal After Car Bombing Outside NI Court, [2], Sky News, 2010.
- ^ Church damaged in city bomb blast, [3], BBC News, 2010
- ^ "Dissidents 'sent warning' before car bomb exploded outside Northern Ireland court," 24 February 2010, Brisbane Times, Brisbane, Australia.
- ^ "Dissident threat growing – Ahern," Coner Laly, 3 October 2010, Irish Times.
- ^ "Timeline: Violence still stalks streets of Northern Ireland". Reuters. 12 April 2010. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
- ^ "Dissidents are 'aiming to murder'" 5 April 2010, Belfast Today.
- ^ "Newry congregation 'overjoyed' as bombed church rises again". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. 21 February 2011. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
- ^ "Second arrest over Newry courthouse bomb – Local & National, News". Belfasttelegraph.co.uk. 27 May 2010. Retrieved 29 July 2010.
- ^ "Dissident linked to car bomb attack on Newry court jailed". The Irish Times. 16 January 2017. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
- ^ a b "Analysis: Deadly copycat campaign right out of IRA’s manual," Brian Rowan, 23 April 2010, Belfast Telegraph.
- ^ a b "Gardaí say dissidents no threat to Britain," Cormac O’Keeffe, 18 September 2010, Irish Examiner.
- ^ "Murphy says attack on Britain 'a strong possibility'" BBC, 28 September 2010.
- ^ Dissident republicans blamed for 400lb bomb after Christmas 'spectacular' threat The Times, 23 November 2009.
- ^ "Dissident threat level increases," Vincent Kearney, 22 April 2010, BBC.
- ^ Garda chief warns of threat posed by republicans Conor Lally, 29 September 2010, Irish Times.
- ^ "Dissident attacks provoke growing loyalist unrest," 15 April 2010, Belfast Telegraph.
- ^ A segregated peace – Is this how Northern Ireland was supposed to turn out? Kevin Cullen, 14 March 2010, The Boston Globe.