Irish Republican Army

14 Stories

Northern Ireland Terror Threat Level Raised to 'Severe'

Biden says it won't affect his plans to visit for anniversary of Good Friday Agreement

(Newser) - The UK’s MI5 intelligence service on Tuesday raised the terrorism threat level in Northern Ireland’ to "severe" amid an increase in activity by dissident Irish republican militants. Severe is the second-highest rung on a five-point scale and means an attack is considered highly likely. The threat had stood...

57-Year-Old Woman Charged in Shooting Death of Journalist

New IRA takes blame for murder of Lyra McKee in Northern Ireland

(Newser) - A 57-year-old woman has been arrested in the shooting death last week in Northern Ireland of journalist Lyra McKee . Although initially two teens were detained in connection with the killing of the 29-year-old, who died Thursday night during rioting in Londonderry (aka Derry), they were later released without being charged,...

Soldier Faces Murder Charges 47 Years After Bloody Sunday

18 other suspects are off the hook

(Newser) - The first charges have been laid 47 years after Northern Ireland's Bloody Sunday, when 13 demonstrators were shot and killed by British troops. A former paratrooper is charged with the murders of two men, James Wray and William McKinney, and the attempted murders of four others: Patrick O'Donnell,...

IRA Leader Turned Peacemaker Martin McGuinness Dies

Sinn Fein leader praises 'passionate republican'

(Newser) - Martin McGuinness, the Irish Republican Army commander who led his underground, paramilitary movement toward reconciliation with Britain, and was Northern Ireland's deputy first minister for a decade in a power-sharing government, died Tuesday, his Sinn Fein party announced. McGuinness, 66, suffered from amyloidosis, a rare disease with a strain...

Sinn Fein Leader: N-Word Tweet Was Meant to Be 'Ironic'

Gerry Adams posted offending tweet after watching 'Django Unchained'

(Newser) - Gerry Adams caught a viewing of Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained on Sunday and was perhaps a little too enthusiastic in sharing his thoughts on it. The leader of Ireland's Sinn Fein party posted in a now-deleted tweet: "Watching Django Unchained - A Ballymurphy [N-word]!" Cue the...

Bomb Falls Off Belfast Police Car

Cops blame 'dissident republican' paramilitaries

(Newser) - Political tensions in northern Ireland almost exploded today—literally—when a bomb fell off the bottom of a police officer's car, the BBC reports. Army bomb experts were called to the scene at Upper Newtownards Road in Belfast and handled the device in a controlled explosion, but police are...

Queen, Ex-IRA Chief Shake Hands

Queen Elizabeth, Martin McGuinness meet in Northern Ireland

(Newser) - A hugely symbolic moment of reconciliation occurred across the pond today, as Queen Elizabeth II shook hands with a former Irish Republican Army commander. The New York Times describes it as "one of the most anticipated gestures in recent Irish history," and the Times and the Telegraph prop...

Irish Wrestle With Would-Be Prez's IRA Past

Martin McGuinness was Irish Republican Army commander

(Newser) - Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness has announced his candidacy for president of Ireland ; now come the inevitable questions over his former role in the IRA. Reporters this weekend asked about his stance on issues like the IRA murder of an Irish police officer in 1996; officials are also calling on...

Brits Fear Irish Terrorists Will Attack Royal Wedding

There are no concrete threats, but they think it's a tempting target

(Newser) - British authorities are on high alert, afraid that the wedding of Prince Williams and Kate Middleton represents an all-too-juicy target for the so-called " Real IRA, " or another Irish militant group. Though there have been no specific threats, security officials tell ABC News that they have “concrete intelligence”...

Peter King Is Hunting Radicals, but Loves the IRA

Muslim radicalization hearings criticized as hypocritical

(Newser) - Peter King has become the center of a major controversy thanks to the hearing he’s holding tomorrow on “ Radicalization in the American Muslim Community .” So it’s sort of awkward that King himself was an outspoken IRA supporter, who once said things like, “If civilians are...

UK, Catholic Church Colluded on Bomb Cover-Up

Priest had role in 1972 bombing, says report

(Newser) - The UK government conspired with the Catholic Church to cover up a priest’s role in a 1972 bombing that left 9 people dead, according to a new report from Northern Ireland’s police ombudsman. Royal Constables suspected Father James Chesney was behind the triple car bombing, and involved in...

Brits Waterboarded Irish Prisoners in '70s

Evidence of torture may overturn man's 1973 conviction

(Newser) - The British Army used waterboarding on prisoners in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, according to lawyers for a man appealing his 1973 conviction. Liam Holden was convicted of killing a British soldier on the basis of a confession which he says was extracted by torture: Holden, who spent 17 years...

Nervous N. Ireland Cancels St. Paddy's Parade

Festivities called off in town where policeman was killed

(Newser) - A St. Patrick’s Day parade set for today in Northern Ireland was canceled amid growing tensions, reports the Times of London. Loyalist leaders have been nervous about reprisals in Lurgan, where a police officer was shot dead by an Irish republican paramilitary last week. Graffiti in a loyalist area...

Arrests Ignite Riots in Northern Ireland

(Newser) - Irish nationalist gangs hurled gasoline bombs at police today after three alleged IRA dissidents were arrested on suspicion of killing two British soldiers, the AP reports. Police operating in armored cars and flame-retardant suits said none of their officers was injured during the rising mob violence in the Irish Catholic...

14 Stories