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IRRESPECTIVE OF WHO was actually responsible for Friday’s shootings in the Regency Hotel, the operation bore the classic characteristics of a terrorist attack.
To begin with, the weapons used were of a high velocity calibre normally associated with paramilitary groups such as dissident Republicans or even Islamist organisations such as Islamic State.
Pictures have been widely circulated of gunmen carrying Kalashnikov weapons into the Regency Hotel. The pictures are significant for a number of reasons.
Modified and modernised AK47s
The weapons pictured are not AK47s as has been widely reported. They are modified, modernised AK47s known as AKMs. The ‘M’ stands for the Russian word ‘Modernizirovanniy’.
These are battlefield variants of the older AK47 assault weapons. AKMs were modified for use in Vietnam and Afghanistan. The AKM differs from the AK47 in a number of ways to increase the accuracy of the weapon. One distinctive feature of AKMs is a machine-pressed ‘dimple’ above the magazine receiver. Among other distinguishing features, these dimples are clearly visible on the pictures released from Friday’s attack.
If forensic analysis shows that the calibre of the bullets used in Friday’s attack to be smaller than the old, standard-issue 7.62mm ammunition used in earlier variants of AKM – then the weapons used may be AK-74 rifles. The AK-74 is considerably more accurate and lethal than the older, AK47.
Irrespective of the weapon type, Friday’s photographs reveal other tell-tale information about the shooters. One of the gunmen is carrying the AKM by the sling. Both weapons are carried in the high-port position – the optimum target selection and firing hold for assault rifles. These visual cues hint at military-standard training on the part of the shooters.
The use of the sling
The sling is used to steady the AKM whilst in use as the weapon tends to jump and climb as a result of bolt thrust and recoil impulse during firing.
In most Irish gangland killings, the weapons used are of a smaller calibre – often machine pistols and handguns such as Glock automatic pistols. Gangland shootings are also usually frenzied affairs with wild shooting patterns and a high number of rounds expended.
Untrained criminals are extremely unlikely to shoulder a weapon using the sling. Many Irish gangland shootings also are also characterised by the jamming and misfiring of weapons – issues that are rapidly overcome by trained personnel.
The gunmen in the Regency Hotel incident were unhurried and confident in their entry to the hotel. They acted in coordination with several others and calmly and callously selected their target. They murdered David Byrne – execution style – as he lay on the ground.
The Regency Hotel shooting was choreographed to send a clear and explicit message to both the Irish state and the communities which such criminal gangs seek to intimidate and terrorise.
The message is simple – criminal gangs are a law unto themselves.
The fact that some of the gunmen wore garda uniform is an ominous development. In the future, criminals who are paranoid and fearful of armed attack, or high on drugs, may open fire on armed or unarmed gardaí in the belief that they might be other criminals in disguise.
Disguising as gardaí
The wearing of garda uniforms is an unwelcome development in this latest attack and represents an escalation in the organisation, intent and propaganda value of such attacks. The images of the gunmen entering the Regency Hotel have been widely circulated in international print, electronic and digital media.
This attack took place in broad daylight opposite Whitehall Garda Station. Whitehall Garda Station is just one of 139 such stations closed due to austerity and cuts to policing. Gardaí lack the personnel, training and equipment to deal with the emerging threat posed by so-called organised crime and its nexus with international drugs trafficking and terrorism.
The Uzi submachine gun has not been replaced with an effective alternative to allow gardaí to deal with an incident such as the Regency Hotel shooting. Even if armed detectives had arrived on the scene on Friday - they would have lacked the training and firepower to neutralise the threat posed by an armed gang carrying battlefield-standard assault rifles.
Such attacks by armed groups would not have been tolerated in the Republic during the Troubles. In the aftermath of Friday’s incident, garda representative groups have complained that they lack the investment and resources to counter the threat posed by armed gangs throughout the state.
Their numbers, modus operandi and armament are beginning to mirror the activities of subversives during the Troubles. During that period, potential targets of subversives potentially included politicians, judges and senior members of an Garda Síochána itself. As such, and rightly so, the problem was prioritised and sufficient resources committed to counter the threat.
In 2016 however, the principal victims and targets of organised crime are, predominantly, men from disadvantaged areas in Dublin, Limerick and Cork. The government has not committed sufficient resources to tackle the problem. Whilst Ireland has a broadly similar homicide rate to the rest of Europe, homicides by firearm in the Republic is roughly five times higher than the EU average.
Ten days ago in TheJournal.ie, I compared the levels of violence used by Irish criminal gangs to that of groups such as Islamic state. I predicted more bloodshed. The outgoing coalition have hollowed out and politicised our policing service.
The next government needs to re-invest in the gardaí and counter this emerging threat to the security of the state. Our front line gardaí deserve better leadership at government level.
Above all, our citizens deserve better.
Dr Tom Clonan is a former Captain in the Irish armed forces. He is a security analyst and academic, lecturing in the School of Media in DIT. He is also an Independent candidate for Senate-TCD Panel. You can follow him on Twitter here.
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Just heard on the radio that gardai doubt continuity IRA involvement for a number of reasons. They reckon it to be north Dublin/Spain drug feud. Gardai strongly suspect that cira admission is a decoy
To the best of my knowledge, the CIRA or any IRA have never claimed an attack they weren’t responsible for. Do that once, and they lose any future credibility with the press.
Let’s face it the Guards haven’t a clue what’s going on. A Sunday Newspaper thought it a good idea to stakeout the place while there wasn’t even a patrol car near the place..
Jamie, you’re working on the assumption that the person who rang the BBC claiming responsibility on the CIRAs behalf for a killing in Dublin was actually a member of the CIRA.
Interesting times ahead.
And what good would a marked patrol car have been? Or an unmarked car with a detective and his 9mm pistol? Get shot by AK46s? I’ve seen enough Garda funerals thanks. The Gardai no longer have any UZI or any automatic weapons. They don’t have ballistic shields. The ERU can’t be in more than one place at a time. There aren’t enough Gardai to do anything but “fire fight” normal calls, not to mention carry out surveillance on boxing weigh ins – s(umbag hangers on notwithstanding. The local Garda station was closed down (across the road). Joan Burton got her Garda escort doubled for the election. Where did they get those Gardai? Somewhere that now has no Gardai, thats where.
“Republican” terrorist groups use code words.
The Provos used code words when they bombed civilians.
@jamie Was that a serious post?
the IRA on the rampage, Boobygate, ‘good republicans’, gurriergate, how would the first week of the election be going for the shinners :D
Bit confused Tommy. Are you saying sf are behind this attack?
Didn’t labour recently give a senate seat to a dissident member of the rnu who were supported by fg.
Jamie, it wasn’t them who called.
Garda now say it wad revenge attack by Spanish mob and could not be CIRA. Enda withdraws his remark about Adams?
They`d have whacked anyone that got in their way including armed gardai
But hed probably already be caught if his face hadn’t been blurred out, ridiculous plan by the Gardai to blur it that could mean he evades justice
According to the radio programme today they were worried about being recognized because they weren’t from here and mostly likely got the next flight out of the country .
Can you imagine the chaos though if the ERU did show up with them all dressed similarly ?
Why haven’t the CIRA leadership come out and refuted the claim?
Because they dont exist
Oh they do.
@tommy
“the IRA on the rampage, Boobygate, ‘good republicans’, gurriergate, how would the first week of the election be going for the shinners :D”
You forgot to mention that whole “fiscal space” thing, and how SF were the only party to understand/only ones honest about how much money was in the pot for the next government. I realise that such matters are not an issue for you, and that you’d much prefer to focus on stuff like a typo in a leaflet, but back in the real world, people have more important priorities to think about in the election.
teg was that a serious post? How much better off are our community in places like Lurgan post-ceasefire? Not to mention west Belfast? Where is the political and economic dividend? Doesn’t exist a chara.
State sponsored is now trending on the www.
I wonder?
Listening to rte news one. They say the claim is very suspect. Gardai have an open mind and their suspicious about the claim. Gardai are puzzled about the claim it’s the cira. So time will tell. After all the cira also hate sf.
“After all the CIRA also hate SF”
Yeah it’s a shame when families fall out.
Oh its a shame all right trying to link this to sf. Pretty pathetic. But hey that’s what happens when monkeys open their mouths.
CIRA/PIRA/RIRA/OIRA……. are sooooooooooooo different.
Haha your even writing like a monkey with your 00000000
Diarmuid why do you insist on portraying your ignorance at every turn? Even the most hardline Loyalist in NI knows the difference between the PIRA and dissidents but you and your cronies are constantly trying to be better Loyalists that the Loyalists themselves!
By your logic the Pro-Treaty forces and anti-Treaty forces in the Civil War were both the same as they were both once part of the IRA. Do you not see how stupid your reasoning is?
Yeah Brian, maybe Loyalists did this to damage Sinn Fein and prevent them getting more than the 14 seats they currently have.
Sinn Fein paranoia/victimhood is a sight to behold!
is there anyone not out to get SF? this is hilarious
Diarmuid are you really that stupid or are you just trolling.
Didnt labour recently recruit a dissident member of rnu, the political wing of cira and wasnt this supported by fg.
Diarmuid I never said anything about Loyalists carrying out this attack. I said that ” you and your cronies are constantly trying to be better Loyalists that the Loyalists themselves!”
Christ almighty, I’d say that even Willie Frazer blushes when he see’s your and your cronies rantings on here. Poor ould Wille must feel very inadequate with the vigour that you and the rest of the paranoid brigade see SF being responsible for everything from the Great Plague to Global Warming! I wouldn’t mind if there was a half reasoned argument between the lot of ye but a room full of your fellow monkeys bashing away on typewriters could come up with a better constructed idea years before any of ye will.
Do you not know the difference then Diarmuid?
Diarrhea Diarmuid is obsessed with Sinn Fein, seems this keyboard guerilla has a severe case of Stockholm syndrome.
School over????
No surprise it was also carried out at the start of the GE campaign to inflict damage to SF.. Don’t forget these same dissidents hate SF and everything they stand for.
Exactly why Ireland should have nothing to do any version of the IRA
80% of the country hate SF and everything they stand for.
eerr…we don’t.
In fairness when Enda Kenny uses the attack on the hotel as an attack on Sinn Fein, you know there is something clearly missing between the man’s ears.
That was @ MM
Correct. Using an apparent attack by the people who issue death threats to Sinn Fein as a /reason not to vote for Sinn Fein is pretty dumb.
Then again, we’ve seen a lot of dumb from the FG camp since the election campaign got under way.
Yes, I understand the barely literate, knuckle dragging troglodytes that pepper west Dublin are very politically engaged, and while not canvassing for FG are executing well planned hits on rival barely literate troglodytes in order to hamper SF poll gains. SF paranoia isn’t always misplaced, but your brand of SF paranoia is pretty delusional!
I heard iPhone Joan mentioning this attack and Slab Murphy in the same sentence… Pathetic considering anyone who knows anything about Northern Politics knows SF nembers are under constant threat from the CIRA/RIRA..
AK47s mentioned by Kenny.
The election campaign has nothing to do with it. The planning for such a compex operation would began long ago, probably weeks if not months. The election was announced just last week. I highly doubt the people who carried this out had inside info on when the election is going to take place.
Moderate Michael, do you include Fianna Fáil and Finé Gael in that description?
Both stemmed from the, then new, Irish Republican Army.
You must be one of the 20%. Im sure Diarmuid has his facts well researched !
Diarmuid do you think peoples believes are changed by what 1 individual thinks???
Where are you getting those figures? Polls and election results would suggest otherwise. If you are to have any credibility, don’t pick stats out of your a!!
Trying to associate ISIS with Republicans by the tenuous link of what weaponry they use is laughable………
Yeah, ISIS is a sectarian terrorist group which bombs innocent civilians, shoots up bars/hotels, counts Britain as an enemy and makes most of its money from fuel smuggling.
Diarmuid do you need a hug?
Diarmuid, if the IRA are a sectarian group then how is it that Ivor Bell who is a Protestant was once the Chief of Staff of the PIRA? Why did the PIRA have 3 commanders in Belfast known as “The Prod Squad” because they were Protestants?
WE should comment the IRA for being wequal opportunity terrorists, is that what you are saying shinnerbot?
Yeah Brian, the PIRA’s murder of people based on their Protestant religion really won over the Protestant population of this island.
Likely the 2 bucko’s carrying the assault rifles are gun for hire Eastern Europeans probable,y ex army type as they were well used to the weapons , carried them properly , fired distinctly at one target whereas the normal criminals would have sprayed everywhere out of control and there would have been a bloodbath .
The lads carrying the handguns were local criminals attached to hutches gang.
I hope the guardai take a wake up call from this . It’s no longer acceptable that these thugs take xo troll of our streets we need to fight now to get them back and make these hobos afraid to peep outside the door . Emergency legislation should be enacted immediately to bring in all these kiinanes and dundons who think they are above the law . Seize everything they have as proceeds of crime and kick them out of the country remove passports and send them off to Estonia or somewhere where they will get there ass kicked if they step out of line . Now the time to get tough.
Loads of assumptions and verbal diarrhea there…. did you make that up or just repeat what you heard someone on the bus say? The manager of the hotel said he was sure they were Irish.
Richard he could be wrong. It wouldn’t be unusual in the circumstances.
The manager of the hotel also thought they were real Gardai. Not that I’d ever blame someone in the position he found himself in for making a mistake.
You really can’t allow this suitution get to the stage where gardai leave their family’s homes every morning to take on heavily armed gunman. We must suck the life out of these organisation and take away their power. We have a suitution were 30% of property sales are cash sales with no questions asked. We have millions running through name plate companies without any questions asked. We can’t fight fire with fire and see more gardai become victims because politicial interference in our justice system has turned us into a crimmial paradise. how much of our GDP is for crime. It going to take a new direction to stop innocent people become more statistics.
According to the RTE News the Gardaí do not believe it was the CIRA, looks more like trying to confuse the investigation by muddying the waters and some journalists think the same as well.
I did notice though that the GRA* blamed cutbacks over the last few years for crippling their intelligence gathering ability…….*No monkey boy that’s not another paramilitary group.
I said that?
Shinnerbot Eddie Barrett will be along any minute repeating his claim that the Brits are responsible, all to damage SF/PIRA!
Lol. Comedy Gold.
Diarmuid, your relentless posts and obsession with SF is getting boring.
He is like a 13 year old One Direction fan Brian. Completely obsessed, hysterical, screaming whenever he hears their name mentioned.
Diarmuid, Am I right to think that you want it to be the IRA in order to prove to other people that your beliefs are right. You want people murdered so you can tell people that you are right, what type of person are you to have that way of thinking???
Michael why ask a question you know the answer to. You’d hear him creaming himself two parishes over. A few posts down he says that the CIRA /PIRA and the OIRA are all the same yet sees no problem with his beloved FG sitting in power with former OIRA members who in turn placed someone with connections to the CIRA into the Seanad. He truly is as dumb as a plank.
Diarmuid, you need to get yourself a girlfriend. Or a hobby. Or a life.
Do you have a job or at least some hobbies to distract you from posting here round the clock?
Sorey diarmud,another one last night and call to the BBC looks like it was fake so looks like its another gangland feud,well done to the government for controlling violent crime in dublin ,doing a great job
Paddy, like why go fishing on a full stomach lol.
”Ten days ago in TheJournal.ie, I compared the levels of violence used by Irish criminal gangs to that of groups such as Islamic state.”
Mystic Meg has nothing on this guy. He was comparing Irish criminal gangs to Isis years before isis even existed.
Criminal gangs now!
Quick, lets go out and buy loads of military equipment for the Gardai.
That has worked so well in the US
Ya because an unarmed guard will take down a guy wielding an ak47
Can you imagine how it would work out for the US if all the gangsters had guns, but the cops didn’t?
One of the biggest load of nonsense I’ve ever read.
1: This ”expert” ties himself up in knots over whether it’s an AKM, AK-47 or an AK-74 when it is clearly none of these. A simple google image search would have told him that they are clearly Romanian PM md. 63/65 as shown by the fore-grip unique to this weapon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pistol_Mitralier%C4%83_model_1963/1965.
2: Dublin gangsters are similar to ISIS? Absolute off the wall sensationalist guff!
3: The Gardai have not replaced the UZI? They use the HK MP-5 and MP-7 which are far superior in both accuracy and velocity to the UZI.
@Scipio. Do you know how many Gardai armed with HK MP-5′s there are patrolling the streets of dublin at any one time ? Because I bet you it wouldn’t even be in double figures.
Who ever committed this act needs to be brought to justice and I believe the special criminal court is the only way to deal with this type of sc um… They need to be dealt with!
I am not trying to defend anyone but too many are blaming S.F. by using this crime when the fact is that it looks to be a criminal gang acting the CIRA now as RTE has reported now according to what the Gardaí now believe as well as journalists.
And… All those pro government party ones on here are just trying to twist it in the hope that anyone reading them will believe their lies as they are desperate to prevent S.F. getting votes.
How about waiting and seeing what the Garda says rather than trying to fool people as that is disrespectful as that only shows what those commentators to the pieces on here really think of the people who read their comments.
….terrible journalism, really
Considering the ambiguity surrounding the claim of responsibility it’s really could come back to bite the author. Though I guess that “journalistic integrity” is not top of his agenda.
99% of people here think diarmuid is a cock sucker
Many journalists and Gardaí don’t believe it now because they called themselves the CIRA, they should have called themselves the PIRA for their statement to be believed. So the Gardaí and many journalists according to RTE now believe it was a criminal masquerade by criminals trying to pass it off as the CIRA…
This only the start of it, expect more attacks in the coming weeks and months.
More like a drug gang trying to stir it up between criminals as well as to hide themselves from any investigation now…
Michael did you think the IRA would not move on the gangsters? So close to an election too.
Or perhaps you’re one of these fellas who claim the IRA don’t exist anymore?
Jamie, it is about facts and the fact is according to the Gardaí it is a criminal group acting the CIRA…
No garda in the hotel, plenty of journalists! A good to sleep in.
Day, why were they not there and why were the boys dressed as garda for other reason’s?
@Patrick. Do you expect armed gaurds in every hotel ? There is a resource problem that is well publicised, unfortunately for us and as a result of the gardas rape by liebour/FG, it is a very very thin blue line.
Will the whole lot of ye fu(k off with the politics, seriously who gives a sh!t it’s a gang shooting not a leaders debate on Vincent Browne
It is went to say that the Garda do not have a viable alternative to the Uzi. A quick Google search has shown that the Garda ERU have replaced the Uzi with the H&K MP7. In addition, the Garda have HK 416s (German AR15) and the H&K G33 which fire standard 5.56 NATO ammunition. Of course, Wikipedia could be wrong but a Google search of the Garda ERU in full battle dress shows that Wikipedia is indeed correct; photos confirm that that they are using both MP7s and AR15s! It is wrong to say that the Garda do not have sufficient training not the expertise to deal with these types of attack. I believe they do!
Bloody autocorrect! It is wrong to say…….
This is yet another example, if one were needed, of what happens under prohibition. Do we really want Dublin to become like Chicago in the 1920s before the government cop on and legalise recreational drugs?
Paul this isn’t about drugs, it’s about continuing an armed campaign against the normalisation of partition. That’s what these people believe.
I blame Irish Water!!
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