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Updated 4.34 pm
THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT has appointment an independent legal officer to decide if an inquest is needed into a 1987 SAS ambush in Armagh that killed eight IRA operatives and a civilian.
Secretary of State Theresa Villiers has written to the Attorney General for Northern Ireland (AGNI) John Larkin QC to inform him that the Advocate General is to take a fresh look at the case.
The UK’s Northern Ireland Office said that Villiers took the decision because she believes that there is “material held by the government which is both relevant to the decision whether to open fresh inquests in these cases”.
This information she added is “national security sensitive”.
The ambush occurred in May 1987 when an eight-man IRA unit attacked a RUC barracks in the town of Loughall. The unit had a 200lb bomb in the front of a digger which the crashed through the gate as other members of the unit in an van outside began firing at the station.
British intelligence had prior knowledge of the operation and a 36-man SAS team were waiting in a D-shaped formation around the station. They fired about 1,200 rounds of ammunition killing the eight IRA activists as well as a builder that came upon the scene. Another bystander was also injured in the firefight. It was the biggest single loss of life for the IRA during The Troubles.
Back in July, it was reported that Villiers had blocked the AGNI from looking into the evidnce of the case due to national security concerns. This was condemned by Belfast-based human rights group Committee Administration of Justice as well as Sinn Féin and the SDLP.
But today the Northern Ireland office has said that it was “incorrectly reported by some media outlets that Secretary of State had blocked inquests into these deaths”.
They claim that Villiers merely wanted to ensure that “the appropriate law officer is able to take the decision”. In this case the Advocate General Jeremy Wright QC as opposed to the AGNI.
Wright also holds the poisition of he Attorney General for England and Wales and the Northern Ireland Office says that “he will make a decision independent of government”.
Reacting to today’s announcement, Sinn Féin MP Michelle Gildernew said that any inquest into the ambush must have “full disclosure” from the British Government.
“The families of the dead men deserve to know the true circumstances surrounding the deaths of their loved ones so any new inquest must have full disclosure from the British Government including files that they claim are sensitive,” she said.
Gildernew added that, if the British Army knew of the attack in advance, it should have attempted to stop it rather than planning the ambush:
There is no doubt that the British Army and RUC had prior warning of an attack on Loughgall RUC barracks in May 1987. However, rather than mount a stop and arrest operation the British army and RUC carried out an ambush which resulted in the deaths of eight IRA volunteers and one civilian and serious injury to another civilian.
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Build to rent that’s all we hear now whatever happened to rental purchase so giving people responsibility and some pride for their homes hopefully
The locals here will tell you that there is a lot of evidence that SOME people are gaming the system and behaving in ways that are evident they are most certainly not in the ‘ desperately homeless and in need ‘ situations that we come to think of when providing ‘emergency accommodation for people’ – in these politically correct times seemingly if you even comment on this theres a mob wanting to pounce – the millions and millions we are spending on hotel accomodations for SOME is NOT appropriate solution and needs to be addressed. The homeless crisis heading into winter is still a problem and the Govt need to spend more of the money building real property / solutions. The level of abusing the system is getting out of control and of people knew the full scale of how their hard earned income taxes they pay are being wasted and abused it would a national scandal.
@Dave Hammond: Do you know the process that you have to go through to declared as homeless.
People have played all systems for years and there is nothing new about that.
Look at the tax system and the people avoiding paying their due.
Met my future wife there at “Shanks disco” 45 years ago when it was called the Croft’s Airport hotel. Stayed there a few times since.
@Irish big fellow: Tried to leave her back, eh ?
@Irish big fellow: with her or another?
@Irish big fellow Where you a Lifeguard ?? The pool was the dance floor !
@Ciaran Dunne: Shanks Disco @ The Crofton Airport Hotel in the 70s…my brother met his missus there too!…and yes – the dig-out for the dance floor was the proposed hotel swimming pool…I guess the disco was a more luctative outcome than a leisure centre!
@Irish big fellow: Did you go to the fleadh cheoil that night?
Are the “operational reasons” due to an increased demand for emergency housing?
Sounds vague and suspicious!
Perhaps they need the space because they are expecting others to come in later, about 250 or so.
have your say