Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09BELFAST14
2009-03-09 14:03:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Consulate Belfast
Cable title:  

TWO SOLDIERS KILLED IN NORTHERN IRELAND BY DISSIDENT

Tags:  PREL PTER PGOV UK EI 
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O 091403Z MAR 09
FM AMCONSUL BELFAST
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1460
INFO AMEMBASSY LONDON IMMEDIATE 
AMEMBASSY DUBLIN IMMEDIATE 
NSC WASHINGTON DC
AMCONSUL BELFAST
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

-------

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