How the INLA killed Airey Neave
By Paddy McGuffin (Derry News)
"Paddy McGuffin"
paddy, (n)
1. Shortened name for Patrick.
2. Inoffensive name for an Irishman.
3. Offensive name for an Irishman.
4. A tantrum or 'wobbler'.
McGuffin
Line breaks: McGuf¦fin
Pronunciation: /məˈgʌfɪn /
(also MacGuffin)
NOUN
An object or device in a film or a book which serves merely as a trigger for the plot:
"the McGuffin in this intriguing comedy is an unpublished novel by a young writer killed in the war"
Origin
1930s: a Scottish surname, coined in this sense by the English film director Alfred Hitchcock, allegedly from a humorous story involving such a pivotal factor.
Interviewed in 1966 by François Truffaut, Alfred Hitchcock illustrated the term "MacGuffin" with this story:
"It might be a Scottish name, taken from a story about two men on a train. One man says, "What's that package up there in the baggage rack?" And the other answers, "Oh, that's a MacGuffin". The first one asks, "What's a MacGuffin?" "Well," the other man says, "it's an apparatus for trapping lions in the Scottish Highlands." The first man says, "But there are no lions in the Scottish Highlands," and the other one answers, "Well then, that's no MacGuffin!" So you see that a MacGuffin is actually nothing at all."
How the INLA killed Airey Neave
By Paddy McGuffin (Derry News)
On March 30, 1979 the INLA, in a joint operation comprising both Derry and Belfast paramilitaries, carried out one of the most audacious and shocking actions of the troubles by assassinating leading Tory Airey Neave in a car bomb attack in Westminster.
The mercury tilt switch bomb, a relatively new addition to the organisations arsenal was attached to the underside of the MP's car.
As the politician drove up the ramp from the underground car park reserved for the House of Commons staff and MPs the device detonated.
Mr Neave was horrifically injured in the blast and died at the scene. Thesignificance of the action was manifold; Neave was a former soldier and allied prisoner of war, expected to take over the mantle of Secretary of State for Northern Ireland following the pending election.
And the attack also illustrated the willingness and capability of the INLA to strike at the heart of government.
Speculation has been rife as to the method employed by the INLA to carry out such an attack.
It has been suggested that inside help was employed from an individual working in Westminster and, (on the word of Derry supergrass Raymond Gilmour) that a team headed by Derry Hungerstriker Patsy O'Hara had been behind the attack.
Later this month, however, the INLA intend to give their account of the bombing in a new three-part RTE documentary, 'Bombers'.
And speaking to the Derry News yesterday, the movement branded the O'Hara claims as "pure fantasy".
No one has ever been caught for the killing.
Why Neave?
A list of questions was submitted to the INLA by Stirling the production company behind the documentary, and London based IRSP Ard Comhairle member Terry Harkin, a former member of the INLA in Derry, was extensively briefed by the organisation to answer these questions.
Last night he told the Derry News why the organisation targeted Neave, and discussed the two schools of thought as to how the assassination took place.
Harkin stated: "You could not get anymore establishment than Neave. He was a total reactionary and publicly advocated greater use of the SAS and Shoot-to-kill policy in Northern Ireland. He seemed to perceive republicans as a sort of 'white Mau Mau terrorist organisation'.
"Neave was preparing to up the ante in a serious way and unleash a wave of terror against the Irish people. He continues to be the most important political figure to lose his life for the last 40 years.
"Within months he would have been the Secretary of State for NI. In a historical context, the onslaught against the Irish when it came after Neave's death was not as focused as it might have been had he been in charge. Neave would not have lost the propaganda war that Thatcher did."
Why now?
So why have the INLA chosen to come forward with details of the attack now, almost 25 years after the fact?
Harkin explained: "There is a perception that we could be entering the end phase of the peace process. The INLA has stated that it has no plans at this stage to resume the armed struggle.
"They were approached by Stirling productions in regard to making the documentary and were assured that this would not be a salacious account and would be dealt with from a purely historical perspective.
"It was decided, before everyone else starts telling their stories, to set the record straight. I was delegated to answer questions and briefed by the INLA."
As has been well documented the device used in the Neave attack was based on a mercury tilt switch and timing device, attached to the wheel arch of his car.
When at rest, the device was primed and highly sensitive, but it was only triggered when the vehicle reached the incline of the car park ramp.
The exact sequence of events has been the source of rumour and conjecture.
Why Neave?
A list of questions was submitted to the INLA by Stirling the production company behind the documentary, and London based IRSP Ard Comhairle member Terry Harkin, a former member of the INLA in Derry, was extensively briefed by the organisation to answer these questions.
Last night he told the Derry News why the organisation targeted Neave, and discussed the two schools of thought as to how the assassination took place.
Harkin stated: "You could not get anymore establishment than Neave. He was a total reactionary and publicly advocated greater use of the SAS and Shoot-to-kill policy in Northern Ireland. He seemed to perceive republicans as a sort of 'white Mau Mau terrorist organisation'.
"Neave was preparing to up the ante in a serious way and unleash a wave of terror against the Irish people. He continues to be the most important political figure to lose his life for the last 40 years.
"Within months he would have been the Secretary of State for NI. In a historical context, the onslaught against the Irish when it came after Neave's death was not as focused as it might have been had he been in charge. Neave would not have lost the propaganda war that Thatcher did."
Why now?
So why have the INLA chosen to come forward with details of the attack now, almost 25 years after the fact?
Harkin explained: "There is a perception that we could be entering the end phase of the peace process. The INLA has stated that it has no plans at this stage to resume the armed struggle.
"They were approached by Stirling productions in regard to making the documentary and were assured that this would not be a salacious account and would be dealt with from a purely historical perspective.
"It was decided, before everyone else starts telling their stories, to set the record straight. I was delegated to answer questions and briefed by the INLA."
As has been well documented the device used in the Neave attack was based on a mercury tilt switch and timing device, attached to the wheel arch of his car.
When at rest, the device was primed and highly sensitive, but it was only triggered when the vehicle reached the incline of the car park ramp.
The exact sequence of events has been the source of rumour and conjecture.
Two distinct schools of thought exist, said Harkin.
"One school of thought is that the device was connected while the vehicle was parked outside Neave's home, while the other is that it was actually planted while the car was in the House of Commons car park," he said.
"The mercury tilt switch was developed by the INLA to attack imperialist targets, but it was not developed specifically for the Neave attack. As the technology developed other groups began to use it."
UDR killing:
Tilt switches were usually cannibalised from central heating systems where they were commonplace and therefore readily obtainable. The engineering section of the INLA in Derry and Belfast had been working on developing the devices, which had been used previously in a similar attack on a UDR officer.
Harkin says that his information is that the device in this case was attached along with a detonator and TPU (Time power unit) to a Tupperware box containing plastic explosive. This box was in turn secured to the wheel arch of the car with magnets.
Both the vehicle and the car park itself were under surveillance for some time prior to the attack. Neave himself would have been targeted as soon as he became shadow NI Secretary.
It is understood that the action was carried out by a standard active service unit, possibly with a second unit in a support capacity.
Among those interviewed in the 'Bombers' documentary are the bombmakers themselves, victims of bombings, the security forces and the emergency services.
In depth analysis of several bombings is conducted, including Bloody Friday (1972), the La Mon Hotel bombing (1978) and the Airey Neave bombing.
The first instalment of 'Bombers' is to be screened on Tuesday October 14 at 10.10pm on RTE One.
Tomás
Tiocfaidh Ár Lá ! El nostre dia vindrà !
"One school of thought is that the device was connected while the vehicle was parked outside Neave's home, while the other is that it was actually planted while the car was in the House of Commons car park," he said.
"The mercury tilt switch was developed by the INLA to attack imperialist targets, but it was not developed specifically for the Neave attack. As the technology developed other groups began to use it."
UDR killing:
Tilt switches were usually cannibalised from central heating systems where they were commonplace and therefore readily obtainable. The engineering section of the INLA in Derry and Belfast had been working on developing the devices, which had been used previously in a similar attack on a UDR officer.
Harkin says that his information is that the device in this case was attached along with a detonator and TPU (Time power unit) to a Tupperware box containing plastic explosive. This box was in turn secured to the wheel arch of the car with magnets.
Both the vehicle and the car park itself were under surveillance for some time prior to the attack. Neave himself would have been targeted as soon as he became shadow NI Secretary.
It is understood that the action was carried out by a standard active service unit, possibly with a second unit in a support capacity.
Among those interviewed in the 'Bombers' documentary are the bombmakers themselves, victims of bombings, the security forces and the emergency services.
In depth analysis of several bombings is conducted, including Bloody Friday (1972), the La Mon Hotel bombing (1978) and the Airey Neave bombing.
The first instalment of 'Bombers' is to be screened on Tuesday October 14 at 10.10pm on RTE One.
Tomás
Tiocfaidh Ár Lá ! El nostre dia vindrà !
In an interview with The Guardian on 9 January 1984, former UK government minister Enoch Powell claimed that the Americans murdered Lord Mountbatten and Margaret Thatcher's friend Airey Neave.
"The Mountbatten murder was a high-level 'job' not unconnected with the nuclear strategy of the United States" (Guardian 9th January 1984). Mountbatten was said to be in favour of nuclear disarmament.
Powell claimed the evidence came from a member of the Royal Ulster Constabulary with whom he had a conversation. (Simon Heffer, Like the Roman: The Life of Enoch Powell, 1999, p. 881.)
Lord Mountbatten was rumoured to have been a visitor to Northern Ireland's Kincora children's home which "was run as a virtual gay brothel by loyalist leaders and MI5."
In the USA, in November 1982, five men were acquitted of smuggling arms to the IRA after they revealed that the CIA had approved the shipment.
On 12 October 1984, a bomb went off at the Grand Hotel in Brighton, England.
The bomb, planted by Patrick Magee, a member of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), was intended to kill Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her cabinet, who were staying at the hotel for the Conservative Party conference.
The Irish National Liberation Army was a rival to the Official IRA, and may have been set up in order to weaken the Nationalist cause.
There is a theory that many of the Irish terror groups were Mafias run by elements of the CIA and MI6. It was all about making money from drugs and guns.
Kevin Fulton, a former British soldier claimed that he had flown to New York, met FBI and MI5 agents and was given money to buy an infra-red device to be used to set off IRA bombs.
The INLA murdered 113 people in the 80s and 90s.
Mountbatten was killed by a bomb in 1979.
In an interview with The Guardian on 9 January 1984, former UK government minister Enoch Powell claimed that the Americans murdered Lord Mountbatten and Margaret Thatcher's friend Airey Neave.
"The Mountbatten murder was a high-level 'job' not unconnected with the nuclear strategy of the United States" (Guardian 9th January 1984). Mountbatten was said to be in favour of nuclear disarmament.
Powell claimed the evidence came from a member of the Royal Ulster Constabulary with whom he had a conversation. (Simon Heffer, Like the Roman: The Life of Enoch Powell, 1999, p. 881.)
Lord Mountbatten was rumoured to have been a visitor to Northern Ireland's Kincora children's home which "was run as a virtual gay brothel by loyalist leaders and MI5." (Lord Mountbatten linked to Kincora child - united kingdom)(aangirfan: Child abuse at the Kincora boys' home)
12 October 1984 bomb - Grand Hotel Brighton
In the USA, in November 1982, five men were acquitted of smuggling arms to the IRA after they revealed that the CIA had approved the shipment.[98]
On 12 October 1984, a bomb went off at the Grand Hotel in Brighton, England.
The bomb, planted by Patrick Magee, a member of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), was intended to kill Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her cabinet, who were staying at the hotel for the Conservative Party conference.
The Irish National Liberation Army was a rival to the Official IRA, and may have been set up in order to weaken the Nationalist cause.
There is a theory that many of the Irish terror groups were Mafias run by elements of the CIA and MI6. It was all about making money from drugs and guns.
Kevin Fulton, a former British soldier claimed that he had flown to New York, met FBI and MI5 agents and was given money to buy an infra-red device to be used to set off IRA bombs. (Congress probes 'IoS' revelations on IRA link.)
The INLA murdered 113 people in the 80s and 90s.
Neave was murdered in 1979.
When Margaret Thatcher's close friend Airey Neave was assassinated in 1979, in a car-bomb attack at a House of Commons carpark, the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) was among the groups that claimed responsibility for the assassination.
Journalist Paul Routledge, in his book Public Servant Secret Agent, floated the idea that Neave was killed by people within MI6 and the CIA.
In 2002, Journalist Paul Donovan wrote, in the Irish Democrat, about "A tangled web of intrigue"
According to Donovan:
1. Neave sought to clean up the corruption within the security services.
2. Neave was killed by a bomb. Gerald James, former chief of the armaments firm Astra Holdings, wrote that the mercury switch on the bomb was only available to the CIA at the time.
3. Enoch Powell claimed that the CIA wanted a united Ireland within NATO.
Former UK cabinet minister Tony Benn, who supports nuclear disarmament and has publicly supported Sinn Féin and the unification of Ireland
From Wikipedia we learn:
UK politician Tony Benn records in his diary (17 February 1981) that a journalist from the New Statesman, Duncan Campbell, told him that he had received information from an intelligence agent two years previously that Neave had planned to have Benn assassinated if there was a possibility that Benn might be elected Labour Party Leader.
The New Statesman printed the story on 20 February 1981, naming the agent as Lee Tracey.
Tracey claimed to have met Neave and was asked to join a team of intelligence and security specialists which would "make sure Benn was stopped". Tracey planned a second meeting with Neave but Neave was killed before they could meet again.[8]
Kevin Cahill, an Irish investigative journalist, claims Neave was on the verge of a massive overhaul of the security services, possibly involving a merger of MI5 and MI6 and arising from his belief in corruption in the security services.
Neave
Cahill suggests a link between Neave's murder and Sir Richard Sykes' murder and the attempted murder of Christopher Tugendhat in December 1980.
Cahill claims that Neave would have been head of the combined security services with Sykes and Tugendhat as his deputies, with Sykes responsible for foreign operations and Tugendhat responsible for home operations.
Cahill concluded that Neave was murdered by MI6 agents working with the CIA because Neave sought to prosecute senior figures in the intelligence establishment for corruption.
On 18 October 1986 Enoch Powell returned to the subject of Neave's death in a speech to Conservative students in Birmingham.
He told them that INLA had not killed Neave, but that he had been assassinated by "MI6 and their friends".
Powell claimed Neave's Northern Ireland policy had been one of integration with the rest of the UK.
His murder, alleged Powell, was intended to make the British Government adopt a policy more acceptable to America in her aim of a united Ireland within NATO.
