The Five Demands

Martin McGartland mette tutti in guardia sulle attuali potenzialità dell’IRA

Chi meglio di un infiltrato nell’IRA negli anni ’80 al servizio dei servizi segreti britannici, può dirci se i dissidenti repubblicani possano essere considerati realmente un pericolo per il processo di pace in Irlanda del Nord?
Martin McGartland, autore del libro ‘Fifty Dead Men Walking‘ basato sulla sua storia di infiltrato tra i ranghi del gruppo paramilitare repubblicano, spiega come le cellule terroristiche dietro agli ultimi ordigni, debbano essere indiscutibilmente ben organizzate.
Esprimendo disaccordo con le affermazioni dell’ex Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde, McGartland ha affermato: “Essere in grado di mettere insieme una bomba come questa (l’ordigno contente 600 libre di esplosivo rinvenuto e disinnescato in South Armagh, ndr) è uno dei più grandi ostacoli da superare”.
Stando alle sue dichiarazioni ci si trova dinnanzi ad individui esperti e ben inquadrati, “si tratta di una grande squadra di persone. Avranno quattro o cinque ragazzi che lavorano all’interno dell’edificio (di solito in aree isolate, come ad esempio una fattoria) per assemblare la bomba e tre, quattro o di più, all’esterno a pattugliare il perimetro”.
“La polizia e il Special Branch sono molto preoccupati che alcuni esperti in bombe appartenenti all’IRA tra il 1980 e i primi anni ’90, abbiano aderito agli attuali gruppi di dissidenti repubblicani”.
“La mia impressione è che le persone che stanno dietro agli ordigni più recenti, siano di un gruppo molto più piccolo. Ma a mio parere sono tutti legati in qualche modo all’ IRA”.
“L’IRA è ancora attiva, con azioni punitive e raccogliendo denaro da attività criminose. Sono ancora potenti. Queste cose continueranno ad accadere, ma, per fortuna, non sarà mai come era in passato, quando ogni giorno qualcuno veniva assassinato”.
McGartland afferma però che c’è grande differenza con il terrorismo islamico, “non si farebbero mai  saltare in aria come gli estremisti islamici”.
E’ convinto che i servizi segreti si siano già infiltrati in queste cellule dissidenti, visto il grande lavoro nel ‘reclutare’ le persone che vivono ai margini di questi gruppi. Alcuni generi di ritrovamenti infatti, come nel caso delle bombe, possono avvenire solo grazie a degli informatori.
“I servizi di sicurezza sono generalmente consapevoli di chi siano i principali membri di queste organizzazioni, hanno soltanto difficoltà a trovare prove sufficienti per portarli in tribunale. Ma credo che il governo attuerà un giro di vitenei loro confronti prima di tornare ai giorni bui del terrore”.

Ex-Spy Warns ‘IRA Still A Threat’ (Police Oracle)
11-Sep-09
The dark days of terrorism once again hang ominously over Northern Ireland after the discovery of a massive 600lb bomb in South Armagh….
The latest device is believed to have been the work of dissident republicans. It was even bigger than the Real IRA device that killed 29 and injured hundreds in Omagh in 1998.
Former spy Martin McGartland infiltrated the IRA in the 1980s for the British secret service and has recently publishes a book, Fifty Dead Men Walking, about his time as a spy.
He is concerned about the recent rise in dissident republican terrorism and explains why he believes the terrorist cell behind the latest bomb must have been well organised.
“There has been a suggestion from the police that the people behind this bomb do not have the sophistication, expertise or resources to carry out this kind of bombing. I disagree.
“To be able to put a bomb like this together in the first place is one of the biggest hurdles they have to cross.
“The fact they went to a vantage point to look for police or army patrols shows they have a lot more expertise than people are letting on.
“The terrorists will go to a disused location, say a farm, and construct the bomb over about ten hours in the night.
“It involves a big team of people. They will have four or five guys working inside building the bomb and three or four more outside patrolling the perimeter.
“I have information from people I speak to that the police and Special Branch are greatly concerned that people from the IRA bomb teams from the 1980s and early 90s have moved across to current dissident republican groups.
“My understanding is that the people behind the latest bomb are from a much smaller group. But in my opinion they are all linked to the IRA in some way.
“If any of these splinter group become a serious embarrassment, the IRA will close them down.
“The IRA are still active with punishment beatings and are making plenty of money from crime. They are still powerful. Bad things are going to continue to happen but, thankfully, it will never be like it was in the past when someone was being murdered every day.
“These small groups have been recruiting people who are local criminals, which the IRA would not have done in the past. They are desperate for people to come on board. I don’t think they have much support.
“I found people in the IRA to be macho, but they didn’t want to go to prison and they would never blow themselves up like Muslim extremists. So it’s a different threat than the one posed by Islamic terror.
“I believe the security services might already have infiltrated these gangs.
“I know that after those two young soldiers were murdered in March, the security services were working overtime to recruit people on the fringes of these dissident groups.
“I used to get weapons and explosives from the IRA and take them to the Army to deactivate the firing systems. A lot of planning and effort goes into making a bomb. Bombs don’t just get found, they don’t just not go off.
“This find could have come about as a result of an informer.
“The security services are generally aware of who the main members of these groups are – they just have trouble finding enough evidence to bring them to court.
“But I believe the Government will crack down on them before we return to the dark days of terror.”