The Five Demands

Ritrovato un camion carico di 1000 libre di esplosivo nei pressi di Newry

Minaccia dissidente a livello massimo. Ad affermarlo è la PSNI dopo il ritrovamento, ieri mattina, di un camion parcheggiato sotto ad un cavalcavia sulla Newry Road nei pressi di Cloghogue (un tratto di strada aperto all’inizio del mese), carico di 1000 libre di esplosivo.
Si tratta del dispositivo più grande assemblato dai dissidenti dopo anni e per rendere l’idea della pericolisità basti pensare che contiene il doppio di esplosivo utilizzato nella strage di Omagh del 15 agosto 1998 in cui morirono 29 persone.
Un team di artificieri del British Army ha impiegato tutta la giornata di ieri per esaminare l’autocarro. Manca ancora la comunicazione ufficiale del Police Service of Northern Ireland in merito all’esatto contenuto del carico.
Chiusa la M1 e traffico dirottato sulla vecchia N1 causando code e ritardi anche di 1 ora.
Era già da tempo nell’aria il timore di un attacco esemplare firmato dai dissidenti in un centro cittadino proprio durante le festività natalizie, e si era provveduto ad allertare attività di vendita al dettaglio, imprenditori, clienti e centri commerciali.
Si stima un aumento sensibile del numero dei dissidenti che avrebbe raggiunto le 200 unità. Particolarmente attivi nel reclutamento sono Real IRA e Continuity IRA, che si starebbero avvalendo della collaborazione di ex membri del Provisional IRA, dettaglio ritenuto una notevole fonte di preoccupazioni per le forze di sicurezza.
Si è avuto notizia anche di un attacco con armi da fuoco contro la stazione di polizia di Crossmaglen, nella contea di Armagh, avvenuto verso le 23 di ieri sera. Nessun ferito; le indagini sono tutt’ora in corso.

Dissidents’ 1,000lb bomb plot foiled after device find at flyover (Belfast Telegraph)
The PSNI has foiled a major dissident bomb plot after a lorry packed with 1,000lb of explosives was found under a flyover bridge.
Security experts say the dissident threat is now at an all-time high following the discovery outside Newry, Co Down, yesterday morning. The massive bomb is the biggest to be constructed by dissident republicans for several years and is twice the size of the Omagh device which claimed 29 lives in August 1998.
The lorry was left parked under a flyover on the A1 Newry road at Cloghogue which has only been open since the start of the month as part of a multi-million euro upgrade of the carriageway between Dublin and Belfast.
A team of technical officers from the British Army spent the day examining the lorry and the area was also forensically examined. Last night, a PSNI spokesperson said she was unable to confirm the contents of the van and said the situation was still “ongoing”.
The security operation led to extensive traffic delays. The M1 was closed and traffic was diverted onto the old N1 Dublin/Newry road. Motorists heading north reported long tailbacks and delays of almost an hour.
Gardai were also notified and a spokesperson said they were assisting with traffic management on the southern side of the Border.
The PSNI said earlier this month they were concerned that dissidents might attempt a spectacular attack in a town centre over the busy Christmas period. Retailers, business owners, shoppers and retail parks were warned to be on their guard, particularly when shops are very busy.
Last September, a 600lb bomb was planted at Forkhill in Co Armagh. The explosives were hidden in drums on the northern side of the Border while the detonation unit was concealed in the Republic. The target of was a PSNI patrol.
Senior police officers and gardai warned that the planned attack in Forkhill represented a major escalation of the terrorist threat,which is now at its highest since the Omagh bombing.
It is estimated that there are more than 200 dissident republican terrorists — a significant increase on previous assessments of their strength. Groups such as the Real IRA and the Continuity IRA are continuing to recruit activists.
The Republic’s Justice Minister Dermot Ahern recently warned of the terrorist threat posed by dissidents and said they were seeking to “remilitarise” the Border. Mr Ahern said that while dissidents had been successful in attracting new personnel in the North, in the Republic their efforts appeared to be confined to the “usual suspects.” Gardai have carried out a number of successful strikes against the renegades since the start of the year.
The Independent Monitoring Commission has confirmed that a number of former Provisional IRA members have been lending their expertise to the dissidents. The British intelligence service MI5 placed the dissident threat level as “severe”, just one level down from “critical” after two British soldiers and a policeman were shot dead in attacks earlier this year.