Republican News · Thursday 9 January 1996

IRA attacks law courts

A rocket attack at the High Court in Belfast on Monday 6 January injured an RUC member.

The daring operation occurred as notorious Diplock Judge Carswell was in London being sworn in as Lord Chief Justice for the Six Counties.

In the attack IRA Volunteers from the Belfast Brigade struck just after mid-day. They drove in a black Ford Mondeo past the nearby Musgrave Street RUC barracks which has direct responsibility for ``security'' in Belfast city centre. The car slowed as it approached the east gate of the courts compound and a Volunteer got out, stood in the road and fired a shoulder-held rocket launcher. The rocket scored a direct hit on the reinforced sangar,.leaving its rear steel door buckled and twisted. The RUC member inside dived to the ground for cover. He was rushed to hospital in a semi-conscious state where his condition was described as ``not serious''. The car was later found burnt out in the nearby Markets area

In a statement claiming responsibility for the attack, the IRA said that ``two units were involved in the operation, one a support unit backing up the ASU which attacked the courts complex''. The IRA statement also said bombs had been left at four hotels, the Park Avenue, Stormont, Dukes and the Culloden, and two transport facilities, Belfast Central Railway station and Oxford Street bus station.

Monday's rocket attack was one of a series of operation mounted by the IRA against the Crown Forces.

On 12 December a horizontal mortar attack in North Belfast was abandoned, according to the IRA, ``due to the presence of civilians in the vicinity''.

The IRA then fired on the RUC bodyguards of DUP politician Nigel Dodds in the Royal Hospital for Sick Children on Friday 19 December. In claiming responsibility for the shooting the IRA refuted accusations that they attempted to kill Dodds and said, ``the Volunteers fired on Dodds' RUC guards''.

On New Years Eve the IRA left a 1,000lb landmine in a van at Belfast Castle but again abandoned this operation due to civilians. ``A gang of drunken youths climbed into the vehicle, forcing our Volunteers to withdraw''. It took British army technical officers 48 hours to eventually dismantle the bomb's firing mechanism.

On 29 November another huge bomb was discovered near Drumadd British army barracks in County Armagh. Over 2,000lbs of explosives were found on a trailer beside a roadside hedge near the British Army's South Area Regional Command HQ. It houses various regiments and is the nerve centre of the British Army's 3rd Brigade.

Also in South Armagh a 250lb bomb was discovered in Cullyhanna, South Armagh at the weekend. This was also defused by British bomb disposal experts.

Meanwhile in a statement Belfast Brigade IRA has said that ``over the past couple of weeks the Belfast Brigade IRA has become aware that a number of people in the Belfast area have compromised operations and placed the lives of Volunteers in danger. These individuals have informed the RUC, by phone, of the presence of our Volunteers in their area even after our Volunteers made them aware of who they were.

``Belfast Brigade IRA will take action against anyone placing the lives of our Volunteers in danger in this way''.

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