Policeman shot dead in Northern Ireland

[muriel_volestrangler]

Source: Reuters

BELFAST (Reuters) - A policeman was shot dead in Northern Ireland late on Monday, a senior politician said, just hours after Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the shooting of two British soldiers would not derail the peace process.

"We are tonight staring into the abyss and I would appeal to people to pull back," said Dolores Kelly, a member of Northern Ireland's policing board, and a member of the nationalist SDLP party.

"I certainly would want to offer my sympathies and condolences to the family of the officer who has been murdered tonight and to the wider police family," Kelly said.

Read more: http://uk.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUKTRE52872W20090309

---

See also BBC:

Police officer shot dead in town

A police officer has died following a shooting incident in Craigavon, County Armagh.

The incident is understood to have happened near Lismore High School at Brownlow.

Police came under attack while investigating suspicious activity near the school.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/7933990.stm

Shootings of policemen in the UK are still rare; coming just 2 days after the shooting of the soldiers and pizza delivery men, this is highly likely to be the Real IRA too.

[Taverner]

1. Why would the IRA want to upset things?

All it will do is drive them into the underground, the last place they want to be right now

Same goes for Ulster

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. The "Real IRA", not the IRA

They're a splinter group who think Sinn Fein should never have agreed to take part in government, and that violence is the only way to get Britain to leave Northern Ireland.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_IRA - Wikipedia, for what it's worth;

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/1471373.stm - BBC article from 2001

I'd suggest going to the Slugger O'Toole blog for details (I understand that republican DUers may not consider the BBC as unbiased), but it lloks as if he may be overloaded at the moment. Anyway, he has a reputation for balanced, reasonable commentary on Northern Ireland politics, from all sides, as fas as I can tell.

[Taverner]

12. How many folks make up this splinter group?

[muriel_volestrangler]

14. I have no idea; in 2005, the Irish government though 'not many more than 150'

Mr. J. O’Keeffe: In terms of the numbers involved, can the Minister give the House any indication of the size of these organisations, in particular, the Provisional IRA? The Minister seems to hope the Provisional IRA and its leadership at political and paramilitary level may arrive at a conclusion which will end all paramilitary and criminal activity. Could the Minister give an indication as to what sort of timeframe he hopes for or expects in that regard?

Mr. McDowell: It is difficult to be precise on numbers because, if we knew the exact figures, many of our problems would be solved. It is fair to say that there are between 1,000 and 1,500 active volunteers in the IRA. None of the dissident groups would have many more than 150 people attached to them.

http://debates.oireachtas.ie/DDebate.aspx?F=DAL20050623.xml&Page=1&Ex=1485#N1485

[Taverner]

25. Damn, and I thought the fighting was all over

Granted, no singing "Lets Get Together" in the streets, but I thought the violence had been stopped

One of (Bill) Clinton's success stories

[redqueen]

20. It's reported that they've recruited members of the Provisional IRA

and the Continuity IRA too.

Of course there's no guarantee that it's accurate, but these recent acts seem more likely to peel their support away rather than generate more.

[enlightenment]

7. This isn't your granddad's IRA.

The original IRA is called the Provisional IRA - the Real IRA is a splinter group of paramilitary dissidents that will settle for nothing less than Northern Ireland joining with the Irish Republic. They broke from the provisional IRA when that group agreed to work within the peace process. They are staunchly Catholic as well, which creates another layer of problems in N. Ireland.

The Real IRA took responsibility for the 1998 Omagh bombing that killed dozens and injured hundreds.

[jkappy]

2. As the economy falters, resistance re-emerges...

No matter the form it takes, these two actions seem to symbolize political displeasure with a top-down impressed period of peace.

[hack89]

3. Resistance my ass

two tiny fringe groups that know nothing but violence. Do you really think the people of Northern Ireland want a resumption of the killing?

[jkappy]

4. no, but without the economic upturn, never wd have been peace

[Stella_Artois]

9. Peace ?

I'm not sure people who shoot Polish pizza delivery drivers because they are "collaborating", or to you and me, delivering pizza know much about peace.

[B Whale]

24. They missed killing people. Below is

a good take on this by David Aaronivitch in The Times

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/david_aaronovitch/article5877219.ece

[maddezmom]

5. Updated link: A police officer has been shot dead in Northern Ireland, the police service has confir

The incident happened in the predominantly Catholic area of Lismore Road in Craigavon, County Armagh.

"At least one police officer has been taken to hospital after a shooting," a Police Service of Northern Ireland spokeswoman said.

It comes two days after Real IRA dissidents shot and killed two British soldiers at an army base in Antrim.

Sky's David Bowden said: "Craigavon is a place where there has been gang crime before.

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/Northern-Ireland-Police-Officer-Shot-Dead-In-Craigavon-Policing-Board-Member-Says/Article/200903215237997?lpos=UK_News_Top_Stories_Header_0&lid=ARTICLE_15237997_Northern_Ireland%3A_Police_Officer_Shot_Dead_In_Craigavon%2C_Policing_Board_Member_Says

[muriel_volestrangler]

8. Thanks - I've updated the OP in place (nt)

[maddezmom]

11. a bit more info here

In what appeared to be a series of co-ordinated attacks, police were called to remove a pipe bomb planted outside the offices of Sinn Fein in Cookstown and were searching for a second device near the police station in Lurgan after receiving a telephone warning. Police are still searching for the device.

The bomb threats were received by police and the Sinn Fein office earlier in the evening.

Police have been warning of a heightened threat from dissident gunmen since the shooting on Saturday, and last week the threat level in Northern Ireland was raised to its highest level in six years
more:http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article5878171.ece

[hardtravelin]

10. Scumbag "Freedom Fighters" strike again.

Fighting the good fight, I see. :sarcasm:

If they wanted the SAS to come to town and kill everybody standing on the wrong street corner, they just should have asked.

I can't wait for the usual suspects to show up and defend this one or claim COINTELPRO.

-travelin

[Damian 911]

13. It Does Sound Like SAS Operation

Hard Travlin has punkily hit the nail on the head. The SAS is in town for some good old paddy bashing. What else is new.

[B Whale]

23. Are you suggesting the SAS

have shot the policeman or planted the pipe bomb or both?

Each claim is ludicrous beyond belief.

[hardtravelin]

26. Ummm...reading comprehension skills a bit dull, here.

No, I was suggesting that they (the Real IRA) are inviting the SAS to come back to town. The SAS was pretty damn effective (and very brutal) the last time they engaged in combat operations in NI against the IRA. I have worked and trained with them. They have a "shoot first" ethos.

The British Govt. has absolutely nothing to gain by re-igniting the conflict. Their forces are spread thin (just like ours), and peace is good business for everybody.

It seems to me that whoever did this has no regard for the common citizenry, for it is they who will bear the brunt of any military action.

[Maeve]

15. Contiuity IRA is believed to be behind this one

The Continuity IRA is one of a number of dissident republican paramilitary groups opposed to the peace process which have carried out bomb and gun attacks on civilians and the security forces.

Gordon Brown said there would be 'no return to the old days'

There is believed to be cross-over and co-operation between the Continuity IRA and the larger Real IRA, which bombed Omagh in 1998 killing 29 people and injuring hundreds more.
<more>
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/7934426.stm

Both groups are dead-enders disconnected from the IRA or Sinn Fein (and reality, as far as I can see).

[steaa]

16. Yes

The area in which this took place would have a strong CIRA presence.

My big fear is retaliation attacks, if they start then I will really start to worry. Things are on thin ice at the minute though.

For once atleast though, all the political parties here are for the most part seem to be all on the same page in regards of supporting the PSNI to catch these thugs who are behind this, and there is no real public support for them unlike in the past. If they (CIRA/RIRA) could get a chance at killing a SF member, im sure they wouldnt hesitate at it. They consider SF tratiors to Ireland.

[Lost in CT]

17. This is the Fred Phelps version of the IRA... honestly I'm not

sure what the solution is with such die-hard criminals.

[ShortnFiery]

18. Which criminals? No side is pure in this seemingly endless saga.

Catholic Terrorists? Momma told me they were all Muslims - now my entire view of the world is turned upside down. Go figure. :silly:

[Lost in CT]

19. Well splinter groups who kill for no motive besides killing and terror

after the two sides have made peace are just simple criminals Don't matter if they are Catholic or Anglican.

[steaa]

21. 18 year old arrested.

18 year old arrested in connection with this murder of Stephen Paul Carroll. News reports here say he (Officer Carroll) was Catholic as well.

Condemnation from all quarters, especially with very strong words from Sinn Fein earlier today.

[steaa]

22. 37 year old man now arrested aswell.

[The abyss]

27. I have followed several of these stories regarding this latest round of violence and I do wonder –

Just who benefits? Very strange, at least for me, to see a resurrection of this violence.

I clearly recall when unidentified Protestant gunmen shot Bernadette Devlin and her husband to pieces in their home while a British military patrol provided security just up their road. I also recall this woman taking the podium using hand braces and speaking to a large crowd shortly after being released from hospital. That was a woman that spoke truth!

What was she elected to parliament, 2 times? I can’t remember.

Powerful speaker! Powerful woman! Where is she now?

I also, do have to wonder if the UK government is not playing a new form of the “green card” simply because their economy is down the hole and they need a distraction that worked in the past.

Enlightening comments by all.

Question: What became of Bernadette?

Edit for poor spelling

[The abyss]

28. Bernadette still lives

She was deported from the US as late as 2003
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernadette_Devlin_McAliskey
she "poses a serious threat to the security of the United States"

Powerful!