Irish Republican News · December 22, 2004

Real IRA mount wave of attacks

Republican hardliners have claimed responsibility for a spate of pre-Christmas firebomb attacks on businesses in Counties Derry and Antrim.

Major British chain stores were targeted by the ‘Real IRA’, who used incendiary devices to start fires.

The breakaway ‘Real IRA’ group claimed responsibility for the first attack, but it is clear that all of the recent fires are linked.

The attacks began with a huge blaze at the B&Q warehouse at Sprucefield shopping centre on the outskirts of Lisburn and the Carpetright store in Derry’s Waterside at the weekend.

Another incendiary device partially exploded on Monday at the Homebase store in the same Derry retail centre, while an incendiary device was found in a sports shop in Newry, County Down, on Saturday.

The Poundstretcher store in Newtonabbey, County Antrim was destroyed overnight on Monday.

The latest in the series of fires struck the Harry Corry premises shop in County Antrim overnight on Tuesday.

It was the sixh apparent firebomb attack in the North over the past four days.

Hundreds of thousands of pounds of damage have been caused in the attacks.

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