A major report dealing with some of the most controversial aspects of the Troubles has found no evidence of collusion on the part of the British state in the 1974 Dublin-Monaghan bombings.
Among the other issues the Kenova Final Report addressed was the role of the British Army's top agent in the IRA.
The report was commissioned by the PSNI in 2016 following a direction of NI's Public Prosecution Service.
The bombings in Dublin and Monaghan on 17 May 1974 claimed the lives of 34 people.
There had long been a suspicion that the UVF, which claimed the attack, would not have had the necessary expertise to carry out such a co-ordinated attack in two places on the same day.
"The review has not identified any evidence or intelligence which would indicate that British Security Forces colluded with the UVF to carry out the attacks in Dublin or Monaghan, nor has any evidence of state collusion been identified," the report says.
It also says it found "no specific intelligence" which, if acted upon, could have prevented the atrocity.
Continue @ RTE.
Doesn't take a rocket scientist to rig together a smokey. Always struck me as daft saying they couldn't build one when they'd been doing it in Belfast repeatedly.
ReplyDeleteSteve - they had enough former British soldiers in their ranks that could easily have put something together without that amounting to collusion.
DeleteThe obvious question is that with the degree of collusion and infiltration why would the British not be able to ascertain what was going on given the involvement of so many people even if they were not signing off on every a operation?
Of course that could be flipped and the same question could be asked of big IRA operations given the extent of penetration.
My own view is that the report hints strongly at something murky with its reference to intelligence gaps. That leads me to suspect destroyed intelligence.
Your bog standard former British soldier wouldn't be familiar with IED construction and wouldn't have been needed regardless. From what I heard both sides had that copy of the US Parks service handbook from the 50's that described how to make ANFO. The Powergel was obtained from Scots Loyalists from their mines and simple TPU's were created by those with electrical experience. No doubt murky shenanigans went on regardless we all saw it. ( I'll understand if you don't want to publish this comment-no problem)
DeleteSteve - no reason not to publish it.
DeleteA study commissioned by the PSNI finds "no evidence" of collusion. Why am I not surprised, or convinced? I would like to see an independent study done. Even then, because the real evidence is still in fact " officially secret," it couldn't be conclusive either. Until the truth about collusion is known, if it ever is, we will never know for sure about it's involvement in these bombings.
ReplyDeletethey had enough former British soldiers in their ranks that could easily have put something together without that amounting to collusion.
ReplyDeleteIain Turner from Balaclava Street, said the same thing a short while back when he spoke to The Troubles Podcast about life inside the UVF/Loyalist paramilitaries.
I had never heard about the UDA bombing Dublin Airport in November 1975 until I listened to thisIndo/BelTel Spotify Podast last night...