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|image=Harrods, London - June 2009.jpg |
|image=Harrods, London - June 2009.jpg |
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|caption=Harrods, pictured in 2009 |
|caption=Harrods, pictured in 2009 |
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|location=London, United Kingdom |
|location=London, England, United Kingdom |
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|target=Harrods department store |
|target=Harrods department store |
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|date=17 December 1983 |
|date=17 December 1983 |
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|perp=[[Provisional Irish Republican Army]] |
|perp=[[Provisional Irish Republican Army]] |
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The '''Harrods bombing''' usually refers to the [[car bomb]] that exploded at [[Harrods]] department store in [[London]] on Saturday 17 December 1983. |
The '''Harrods bombing''' usually refers to the [[car bomb]] that exploded at [[Harrods]] department store in [[London]] on Saturday 17 December 1983. Members of the [[Provisional Irish Republican Army|Provisional IRA]] planted the time bomb and sent a warning 37 minutes before it exploded, but the area was not evacuated. The blast killed six people (three police officers and three civilians), injured ninety, and caused much damage. The [[IRA Army Council|IRA's Army Council]] claimed it had not authorised the attack and expressed regret for the civilian casualties. The IRA had been bombing commercial targets in England since the early 1970s, as part of its "economic war". The goal was to damage the economy and cause disruption, which would put pressure on the British Government to withdraw from Northern Ireland.<ref>O'Day, Alan. ''Political Violence in Northern Ireland''. Greenwood Publishing, 1997. p.20</ref> |
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The store was the target of a much smaller IRA bomb almost ten years later, in January 1993, which injured four people. |
The store was the target of a much smaller IRA bomb almost ten years later, in January 1993, which injured four people. |
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==1983 bombing== |
==1983 bombing== |
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From 1973 the Provisional IRA had carried out waves of bombing attacks in London, and elsewhere in England, as part of [[Provisional Irish Republican Army campaign 1969–1997|its campaign]]. Harrods—a large, upmarket department store in the affluent [[Knightsbridge]] district, near [[Buckingham Palace]]—had been targeted before by the IRA. On 10 December 1983, the IRA carried out its first attack in London for some time when a bomb exploded at the [[Royal Artillery Barracks]], injuring three British soldiers.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/1983/12/11/world/around-the-world-4-soldiers-wounded-by-bombing-in-london.html "4 Soldiers Wounded By Bombing in London"]. ''The New York Times'', 11 December 1983.</ref> |
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The bomb contained between 25 and {{convert|30|lb|abbr=on}} of explosives and was left in a 1972 blue [[Morris 1100|Austin 1300]] GT four-door saloon car with a black vinyl roof, registration plate KFP 252K.<ref name="Guardian"/> It was parked outside the side entrance of Harrods, on Hans Crescent, and set to be detonated by a timer. |
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One week later, on the afternoon of 17 December, IRA members parked a car bomb near the side entrance of Harrods, on Hans Crescent. The bomb contained 25 to {{convert|30|lb|abbr=on}} of explosives and was set to be detonated by a timer.<ref name="Guardian">[http://www.guardian.co.uk/fromthearchive/story/0,,1376054,00.html "Bomb unauthorised says IRA"]. [[The Guardian]], 19 December 1983.</ref><ref name=chalk>Chalk, Peter. ''Encyclopedia of Terrorism''. ABC-CLIO, 2013. pp.285-287</ref> It was left in a 1972 blue [[Morris 1100|Austin 1300]] GT four-door saloon car with a black vinyl roof, registration plate KFP 252K.<ref name="Guardian"/> At 12:44<small>PM</small>, a man using an IRA codeword phoned the central London branch of the [[Samaritans (charity)|Samaritans]] charity.<ref name="Guardian"/><ref name=chalk/> The caller said there was a car bomb outside Harrods and another bomb inside Harrods, and gave the car's [[Vehicle registration plate|registration plate]].<ref name="Guardian"/><ref name=chalk/> However, according to police, he did not give any other description of the car.<ref name="Guardian"/> |
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At 12:44, a man using an IRA codeword phoned the central London branch of the [[Samaritans (charity)|Samaritans]] charity.<ref name="Guardian"/> The caller said there were bombs inside and outside Harrods, specifying the registration plate of the car, but not its make or colour.<ref name="Guardian"/> At around 13:21, four police officers in a car, a dog handler, and an officer on foot approached the suspect vehicle when the bomb exploded.<ref name="Guardian"/> The police car absorbed much of the blast, probably reducing further casualties.<ref name="Guardian">[http://www.guardian.co.uk/fromthearchive/story/0,,1376054,00.html ''Bomb unauthorised says IRA''] [[The Guardian]] 19 December 1983</ref> Six people were killed; three passers-by (including one citizen of the United States), and three [[Metropolitan Police Service|Metropolitan Police]] officers.<ref name="CAIN">[http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/sutton/chron/1983.html Sutton Index of Deaths] CAIN Web Service (Conflict Archive on the Internet)</ref><ref>[http://www.margaretthatcher.org/archive/displaydocument.asp?docid=109280 Northern Ireland: Thatcher letter to Reagan (outrage at Harrods IRA bomb)] Margaret Thatcher Foundation website</ref> |
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The bomb exploded at about 13:21, as four police officers in a car, an officer on foot and a police dog handler neared the suspect vehicle.<ref name="Guardian"/><ref name=chalk/> Six people were killed (three officers and three bystanders) and ninety others were injured, including fourteen police officers.<ref name=mckittrick>McKittrick, David. ''Lost Lives: The Stories of the Men, Women and Children who Died as a Result of the Northern Ireland Troubles''. Mainstream, 2001. pp.970-971</ref> The blast damaged 24 cars<ref name="Guardian"/> and all five floors on the side of Harrods, sending a shower of glass down on the street.<ref name=chalk/> The police car absorbed much of the blast and this likely prevented further casualties.<ref name="Guardian"/> |
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Those killed instantly by the explosion were: Philip Geddes, a journalist aged 24; Kenneth Salvesen, 28; Jasmine Cochrane-Patrick, 25; Police Sergeant Noel Lane, 28; and Police Constable Jane Arbuthnot, 22. Police Inspector Stephen Dodd, 34, was mortally injured and died in hospital on 24 December.<ref name="CAIN"/> Police Constable Jon Gordon survived, but lost both legs and part of a hand in the blast. |
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The bystanders killed were Philip Geddes (24), an English journalist who had heard about the alert and went to the scene;<ref name=mckittrick/> Jasmine Cochrane-Patrick (25); and Kenneth Salvesan (28), an American citizen.<ref name=mckittrick/><ref>[http://www.margaretthatcher.org/archive/displaydocument.asp?docid=109280 Northern Ireland: Thatcher letter to Reagan (outrage at Harrods IRA bomb)] Margaret Thatcher Foundation website</ref> The [[Metropolitan Police Service|Metropolitan Police]] officers killed were Sergeant Noel Lane (28); Constable Jane Arbuthnot (22); and Inspector Stephen Dodd (34), who died of his wounds on 24 December.<ref name="CAIN">[http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/sutton/chron/1983.html Malcolm Sutton's Index of Deaths from the Conflict in Ireland]. [[Conflict Archive on the Internet]] (CAIN).</ref> Police Constable Jon Gordon survived, but lost both legs and part of a hand in the blast.<ref name=chalk/> |
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At the time of the explosion, a second warning call was made by the IRA. The caller stated that a bomb had been left in the [[C&A]] department store on the east side of [[Oxford Street]]. Police cleared the area and cordoned it off but this claim was found to be false.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/17/newsid_2538000/2538147.stm ''On this Day BBC Report''] BBC</ref> |
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At the time of the explosion, a second warning call was made by the IRA. The caller said that a bomb had been left in the [[C&A]] department store on the east side of [[Oxford Street]]. Police cleared the area and cordoned it off but this claim was found to be false.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/17/newsid_2538000/2538147.stm ''On this Day - 1983: Harrods bomb blast kills six'']. BBC News.</ref> In the aftermath of the attack, hundreds of extra police and mobile bomb squads were drafted into London.<ref name=chalk/> Aleck Craddock, Chairman of Harrods, reported that £1 million in turnover had been lost as a result of the bombing.<ref>''The Glasgow Herald'', 19 December 1983, p.1</ref> However, despite the damage, Harrods re-opened three days later, vowing not to be defeated by "acts of terrorism".<ref name=chalk/> [[Denis Thatcher]], husband of British Prime Minister [[Margaret Thatcher]], visited the store and told reporters "no damned Irishman is going to stop me going there".<ref>"No damned Irishman will stop me, says Thatcher's husband" ''The Montreal Gazette'', 21 December 1983.</ref> |
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⚫ | |||
⚫ | In a statement, the [[IRA Army Council]] admitted that |
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⚫ | |||
[[Leon Brittan]], the [[Home Secretary]], commented: "The nature of a terrorist organisation is that those in it are not under disciplined control".<ref name="Guardian"/> |
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⚫ | The bombing badly damaged the IRA's support, due to the civilian deaths and injuries.<ref name=chalk/> In a statement issued the day after, the [[IRA Army Council]] admitted that IRA members had planted the bomb, but claimed that it had not authorised the attack:<blockquote>The Harrods operation was not authorised by the Irish Republican Army. We have taken immediate steps to ensure that there will be no repetition of this type of operation again. The volunteers involved gave a 40 minutes specific warning, which should have been adequate. But due to the inefficiency or failure of the Metropolitan Police, who boasted of foreknowledge of IRA activity, this warning did not result in an evacuation. We regret the civilian casualties, even though our expression of sympathy will be dismissed. Finally, we remind the British Government that as long as they maintain control of any part of Ireland then the Irish Republican Army will continue to operate in Britain.<ref name="Guardian"/></blockquote> |
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[[Leon Brittan]], the [[Home Secretary]], commented: "The nature of a terrorist organisation is that those in it are not under disciplined control".<ref name="Guardian"/> In his book ''The Provisional IRA in England'', author Gary McGladdery says the bombing illustrated one of the problems with the IRA's [[Clandestine cell system|cell system]], where units "could become virtually autonomous from the rest of the organisation and operate at their own discretion".<ref>McGladdery, Gary. ''The Provisional IRA in England: The bombing campaign, 1973-1997''. Irish Academic Press, 2006. p.123</ref> The IRA had adopted the system in the late 1970s. |
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===Memorials=== |
===Memorials=== |
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==1993 bombing== |
==1993 bombing== |
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On 28 January 1993, Harrods was once again targeted. At 9:14<small>AM</small>, a telephoned warning was issued, saying that two bombs had been planted: one outside and one inside Harrods. The store was due to open at 10<small>AM</small>. Police cordoned-off the area and began a search. However, some bystanders ignored the police cordon. At about 9:40, a package containing 1 lb of [[Semtex]] exploded in a litter bin at the front of the store. It injured four people and smashed windows but did no other damage.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/four-hurt-by-ira-bomb-outside-harrods-1481378.html |title=Four hurt by IRA bomb outside Harrods – UK, News |work=The Independent |date=29 January 1993 |accessdate=2010-02-19 | location=London | first=Will | last=Bennett}}</ref><ref name="convicted">{{Cite book|title=The Irish War: the hidden conflict between the IRA and British Intelligence |first=Tony |last=Geraghty|authorlink=Tony Geraghty|publisher=JHU Press|year=2000|isbn=0-8018-6456-9|page=163}}</ref> |
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Those responsible were English [[Far-left politics|far left]] activists associated with the IRA: Jan Taylor, a 51-year-old former corporal who served in the [[Royal Signals Corps]] of the [[British Army]], and Patrick Hayes, a 41-year-old computer programmer with a degree in business studies from [[University of Westminster|Central London Polytechnic]] and a member of [[Red Action]].<ref name="convicted" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/charge-of-the-new-red-brigade-1570278.html |title=Charge of the New Red Brigade |work=The Independent |date=29 January 1995 |accessdate=8 February 2012 | location=London | first=Matt | last=Seaton}}</ref> In March 1993, police captured them at Hayes' home in [[Stoke Newington]], north London.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Terrorism, 1992–1995: a chronology of events and a selectively annotated bibliography |first=Edward|last=Mickolus|publisher=Greenwood Press|year=1997|isbn=0-313-30468-8|page=282}}</ref> They each received prison sentences of 30 years for the January Harrods bombing and for a second attack on a train a month later which caused extensive damage but no casualties. Hayes was also convicted of conspiracy to cause three additional explosions in 1992. Neither men had links to Ireland.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/proud-ira-bombers-jailed-for-30-years-police-remain-mystified-why-two-englishmen-who-had-no-apparent-connections-with-ireland-became-terrorists-stephen-ward-reports-1435755.html|title= 'Proud' IRA bombers jailed for 30 years: Police remain mystified why two Englishmen, who had no apparent connections with Ireland, became terrorists |work=The Independent |date=14 May 1994 |accessdate=17 December 2010 | location=London }}</ref> |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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==References== |
==References== |
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{{reflist|colwidth=30em}} |
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}} |
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==Bibliography== |
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*{{Cite book|title=Terrorism, 1992–1995: a chronology of events and a selectively annotated bibliography |first=Edward|last=Mickolus|publisher=Greenwood Press|year=1997|isbn=0-313-30468-8}} |
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*{{Cite book|title=The Irish War: the hidden conflict between the IRA and British Intelligence |first=Tony |last=Geraghty|authorlink=Tony Geraghty|publisher=JHU Press|year=2000|isbn=0-8018-6456-9}} |
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{{Refend}} |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
Revision as of 01:54, 17 December 2013
Harrods bombing | |
---|---|
Part of The Troubles | |
Location | London, England, United Kingdom |
Date | 17 December 1983 13:21 (UTC) |
Target | Harrods department store |
Attack type | Car bomb |
Deaths | 6 (3 police officers, 3 civilians) |
Injured | 90 |
Perpetrator | Provisional Irish Republican Army |
The Harrods bombing usually refers to the car bomb that exploded at Harrods department store in London on Saturday 17 December 1983. Members of the Provisional IRA planted the time bomb and sent a warning 37 minutes before it exploded, but the area was not evacuated. The blast killed six people (three police officers and three civilians), injured ninety, and caused much damage. The IRA's Army Council claimed it had not authorised the attack and expressed regret for the civilian casualties. The IRA had been bombing commercial targets in England since the early 1970s, as part of its "economic war". The goal was to damage the economy and cause disruption, which would put pressure on the British Government to withdraw from Northern Ireland.[1]
The store was the target of a much smaller IRA bomb almost ten years later, in January 1993, which injured four people.
1983 bombing
From 1973 the Provisional IRA had carried out waves of bombing attacks in London, and elsewhere in England, as part of its campaign. Harrods—a large, upmarket department store in the affluent Knightsbridge district, near Buckingham Palace—had been targeted before by the IRA. On 10 December 1983, the IRA carried out its first attack in London for some time when a bomb exploded at the Royal Artillery Barracks, injuring three British soldiers.[2]
One week later, on the afternoon of 17 December, IRA members parked a car bomb near the side entrance of Harrods, on Hans Crescent. The bomb contained 25 to 30 lb (14 kg) of explosives and was set to be detonated by a timer.[3][4] It was left in a 1972 blue Austin 1300 GT four-door saloon car with a black vinyl roof, registration plate KFP 252K.[3] At 12:44PM, a man using an IRA codeword phoned the central London branch of the Samaritans charity.[3][4] The caller said there was a car bomb outside Harrods and another bomb inside Harrods, and gave the car's registration plate.[3][4] However, according to police, he did not give any other description of the car.[3]
The bomb exploded at about 13:21, as four police officers in a car, an officer on foot and a police dog handler neared the suspect vehicle.[3][4] Six people were killed (three officers and three bystanders) and ninety others were injured, including fourteen police officers.[5] The blast damaged 24 cars[3] and all five floors on the side of Harrods, sending a shower of glass down on the street.[4] The police car absorbed much of the blast and this likely prevented further casualties.[3]
The bystanders killed were Philip Geddes (24), an English journalist who had heard about the alert and went to the scene;[5] Jasmine Cochrane-Patrick (25); and Kenneth Salvesan (28), an American citizen.[5][6] The Metropolitan Police officers killed were Sergeant Noel Lane (28); Constable Jane Arbuthnot (22); and Inspector Stephen Dodd (34), who died of his wounds on 24 December.[7] Police Constable Jon Gordon survived, but lost both legs and part of a hand in the blast.[4]
At the time of the explosion, a second warning call was made by the IRA. The caller said that a bomb had been left in the C&A department store on the east side of Oxford Street. Police cleared the area and cordoned it off but this claim was found to be false.[8] In the aftermath of the attack, hundreds of extra police and mobile bomb squads were drafted into London.[4] Aleck Craddock, Chairman of Harrods, reported that £1 million in turnover had been lost as a result of the bombing.[9] However, despite the damage, Harrods re-opened three days later, vowing not to be defeated by "acts of terrorism".[4] Denis Thatcher, husband of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, visited the store and told reporters "no damned Irishman is going to stop me going there".[10]
IRA response
The bombing badly damaged the IRA's support, due to the civilian deaths and injuries.[4] In a statement issued the day after, the IRA Army Council admitted that IRA members had planted the bomb, but claimed that it had not authorised the attack:
The Harrods operation was not authorised by the Irish Republican Army. We have taken immediate steps to ensure that there will be no repetition of this type of operation again. The volunteers involved gave a 40 minutes specific warning, which should have been adequate. But due to the inefficiency or failure of the Metropolitan Police, who boasted of foreknowledge of IRA activity, this warning did not result in an evacuation. We regret the civilian casualties, even though our expression of sympathy will be dismissed. Finally, we remind the British Government that as long as they maintain control of any part of Ireland then the Irish Republican Army will continue to operate in Britain.[3]
Leon Brittan, the Home Secretary, commented: "The nature of a terrorist organisation is that those in it are not under disciplined control".[3] In his book The Provisional IRA in England, author Gary McGladdery says the bombing illustrated one of the problems with the IRA's cell system, where units "could become virtually autonomous from the rest of the organisation and operate at their own discretion".[11] The IRA had adopted the system in the late 1970s.
Memorials
There is a memorial at the site of the blast.[12] Yearly prizes in the honour of Philip Geddes are awarded to aspiring journalists attending the University of Oxford. Also, every year the Philip Geddes Memorial Lecture on the theme of the future of journalism is given by a leading journalist.[13][14]
1993 bombing
On 28 January 1993, Harrods was once again targeted. At 9:14AM, a telephoned warning was issued, saying that two bombs had been planted: one outside and one inside Harrods. The store was due to open at 10AM. Police cordoned-off the area and began a search. However, some bystanders ignored the police cordon. At about 9:40, a package containing 1 lb of Semtex exploded in a litter bin at the front of the store. It injured four people and smashed windows but did no other damage.[15][16]
Those responsible were English far left activists associated with the IRA: Jan Taylor, a 51-year-old former corporal who served in the Royal Signals Corps of the British Army, and Patrick Hayes, a 41-year-old computer programmer with a degree in business studies from Central London Polytechnic and a member of Red Action.[16][17] In March 1993, police captured them at Hayes' home in Stoke Newington, north London.[18] They each received prison sentences of 30 years for the January Harrods bombing and for a second attack on a train a month later which caused extensive damage but no casualties. Hayes was also convicted of conspiracy to cause three additional explosions in 1992. Neither men had links to Ireland.[19]
See also
- List of British police officers killed in the line of duty
- Provisional Irish Republican Army campaign 1969–1997
References
- ^ O'Day, Alan. Political Violence in Northern Ireland. Greenwood Publishing, 1997. p.20
- ^ "4 Soldiers Wounded By Bombing in London". The New York Times, 11 December 1983.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Bomb unauthorised says IRA". The Guardian, 19 December 1983.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Chalk, Peter. Encyclopedia of Terrorism. ABC-CLIO, 2013. pp.285-287
- ^ a b c McKittrick, David. Lost Lives: The Stories of the Men, Women and Children who Died as a Result of the Northern Ireland Troubles. Mainstream, 2001. pp.970-971
- ^ Northern Ireland: Thatcher letter to Reagan (outrage at Harrods IRA bomb) Margaret Thatcher Foundation website
- ^ Malcolm Sutton's Index of Deaths from the Conflict in Ireland. Conflict Archive on the Internet (CAIN).
- ^ On this Day - 1983: Harrods bomb blast kills six. BBC News.
- ^ The Glasgow Herald, 19 December 1983, p.1
- ^ "No damned Irishman will stop me, says Thatcher's husband" The Montreal Gazette, 21 December 1983.
- ^ McGladdery, Gary. The Provisional IRA in England: The bombing campaign, 1973-1997. Irish Academic Press, 2006. p.123
- ^ Police City Themes London
- ^ Prize money for students rises to £2,500 Holdthefrontpage
- ^ PHILIP GEDDES MEMORIAL PRIZES 2005 Oxford University Gazette
- ^ Bennett, Will (29 January 1993). "Four hurt by IRA bomb outside Harrods – UK, News". The Independent. London. Retrieved 19 February 2010.
- ^ a b Geraghty, Tony (2000). The Irish War: the hidden conflict between the IRA and British Intelligence. JHU Press. p. 163. ISBN 0-8018-6456-9.
- ^ Seaton, Matt (29 January 1995). "Charge of the New Red Brigade". The Independent. London. Retrieved 8 February 2012.
- ^ Mickolus, Edward (1997). Terrorism, 1992–1995: a chronology of events and a selectively annotated bibliography. Greenwood Press. p. 282. ISBN 0-313-30468-8.
- ^ "'Proud' IRA bombers jailed for 30 years: Police remain mystified why two Englishmen, who had no apparent connections with Ireland, became terrorists". The Independent. London. 14 May 1994. Retrieved 17 December 2010.