TWO SOLDIERS KILLED IN NORTHERN IRELAND BY DISSIDENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L BELFAST 000014 EUR FOR WE, NSC FOR SHERWOOD-RANDALL E.O. 12958: DECL: 3/9/2019 TAGS: PREL PTER PGOV UK EI SUBJECT: TWO SOLDIERS KILLED IN NORTHERN IRELAND BY DISSIDENT REPUBLICANS CLASSIFIED BY: Henry Bisharat, Political Officer, AmConsul Belfast, State. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d) Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) A March 7 gun attack by dissident republicans near Antrim which left two British soldiers dead, and injured four others, is the worst terrorist attack in Northern Ireland since the 1998 Omagh bombing. The attack was carried out by the Real IRA, a small dissident group formed by IRA members who rejected the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. It took place just days after the British government raised the threat level in Northern Ireland from "substantial" to "severe" due to concerns about the potential for dissident republican violence. All of Northern Ireland's political parties have strongly condemned the attack. Prime Minister Gordon Brown visited the site of the attack March ¶9. First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, who were to have left for the U.S. on March 8, delayed their departure by a few days. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) is working closely with their Irish counterparts to apprehend those responsible. The PSNI is concerned about future dissident attacks, and has stepped up their intelligence efforts. Dissidents republicans have negligible support in Northern Ireland as there is strong support for the peace process and the normalcy it has brought across Northern Ireland's communities, a reality underscored by the strong statements of support for the peace process and revulsion at the attacks from all of Northern Ireland's political leadership. End Summary. Two Soldiers Killed in Antrim -------------- ¶2. (C) The Real IRA has claimed responsibility for a terrorist attack at the Masserene Barracks, near the town of Antrim, which left two soldiers dead, both of whom were scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan, and injured four others, including two soldiers. The incident occurred late March 7 as two Dominos Pizza deliverymen arrived at the barracks. This is the first killing of a UK soldier in Northern Ireland since 1997, and the worst terrorist incident since the 1998 Omagh bombing, was also carried out by the Real IRA, and which was formed by a small group of former IRA members opposed to the Good Friday Agreement. The Real IRA claimed responsibility in a phone call to Irish newspaper "The Sunday Tribune". The caller offered no apologies for the shooting of the pizza deliverymen, calling them "British collaborators." One of the injured deliverymen is 19 years old and the other, who was more critically injured, is a 32-year-old Pole. Political Parties Condemn Attack -------------- ¶3. (U) All of Northern Ireland's political parties have condemned the attack. In a public statement, First Minister Peter Robinson of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) expressed outrage at the incident, but urged the Unionist community to allow the police to track down those responsible. Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) leader Sir Reg Empey termed the attack "barbaric." Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) leader Mark Durkan noted such an attack "achieves nothing but grief and injury for victims and shock and disgust across the community." Sinn Fein Condemns Attack; But Criticized for Slow Response -------------- -------------- ¶4. (C) Sinn Fein leaders Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness both made strong statements criticizing those responsible. However, unlike other political leaders, Sinn Fein did not make a condemnation immediately following the incident, but waited 14 hours until midday March 8, which has generated some criticism. In a prepared statement Adams called the attack "wrong and counterproductive." Adams noted that "those responsible have no support, no strategy to achieve a United Ireland. Their intention is to bring British soldiers back on to the streets." In a televised interview March 9, Adams defended the delay in issuing a statement, explaining that his statement was unprecedented in Sinn Fein history, which had consistently opposed British military presence in Ireland. Adams added by expressing sympathy for the families of those killed and injured. In a televised interview the afternoon of March 8, McGuinness termed the attack "wrong". He added "I was a member of the IRA, but war is over now. The people responsible for last night's incident are clearly signaling that they want to resume or restart that war. Well, I deny their right to do that." British Political Parties Condemn Attack -------------- ¶5. (SBU) British political leaders unanimously condemned Saturday's attack on British soldiers as cowardly and committed themselves to avoiding a return to Northern Ireland's bloody past. Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who traveled to Northern Ireland March 9, called the attack an evil act that would not be allowed to derail the Northern Ireland peace process. Brown expressed the outrage "of the whole country" at the "evil and cowardly attacks" and pledged the government to doing everything in its power to make sure that Northern Ireland is safe and that "these murderers" are brought to justice. Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague, speaking for the Conservatives, called the attack "sad evidence" that efforts must be redoubled to ensure the peace process moves forward. He stressed that those behind the attack have no popular support in Northern Ireland, and warned, "there is nothing they can achieve by violence and murder." Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary Owen Patterson added his sympathies to the families and stressed that the perpetrators must be brought to justice quickly and denied the chance to disrupt the peace process. Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg, addressing his party's spring conference on March 8, expressed sympathy to the families and friends of the soldiers who were "murdered so brutally," and said that the attack was a reminder of Northern Ireland's darkest days, which had no place in its present and future. Northern Ireland Secretary Shaun Woodward is expected to make a statement on the attacks to the House of Commons March 9. Police Step Up Efforts to Capture Those Responsible -------------- -------------- ¶6. (C) The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) is working closely with Irish counterparts to find those responsible for the attacks. In early March the British government raised the security threat in Northern Ireland from "substantial" to "severe" in response to intelligence about dissident republican activities. Of particular concern was the discovery in January 2009 of a 300 pound car bomb near a military installation in Ballykinlar. In the days before the March 7 attack, PSNI Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde faced criticism from Sinn Fein and the SDLP for announcing he had asked for a small number of British military specialists to help analyze intelligence on the dissident terrorist groups. Before the attack, Orde had termed the threat from dissident republicans as the worst in his seven years in Northern Ireland. However, the PSNI has said it does not believe the attack was in response to either the increase in the threat level or the announcement of military specialists being brought to Northern Ireland, but rather had been planned for some time. ¶7. (C) A senior police contact advised Consulate officer March 9 that the PSNI are not treating the incident as a "last gasp" by dissident republicans, and they plan to step up surveillance of these groups. PSNI will provide full briefing on security situation to Consulate officers afternoon of March 9 (septel). Given the strong, universal public revulsion at this incident, police and intelligence services are hoping that they will be able to receive help from local communities in Northern Ireland in order to apprehend those responsible, and before another attack can be launched. Comment -------------- ¶8. (C) Dissidents republicans have negligible support in Northern Ireland, where support for the peace process and the normalcy it has brought remains strong in both republican and unionist communities. The political leadership in Northern Ireland, has been quick to condemn this act of violence, and though Sinn Fein's criticism of the attack as "wrong and counterproductive" struck some as not strong enough, Sinn Fein is now on record having criticized an attack on British soldiers and sent a message to its supporters that there is no justification for acts of violence in pursuit of the republican cause. All of Northern Ireland's parties share the goal of wanting to avoid any action that would send the message that such an act of violence can disrupt the political process. That said, there is initial speculation in London that the fact Sinn Fein criticized the deployment of additional military intelligence specialists to the North just days before this incident, may spark new Unionist concerns about moving forward with devolution of police and justice issues. How Sinn Fein responds over the next several days in both its public statements on the killings and the need for republican communities to assist with the investigation will be closely watched by unionists. BISHARAT