The PSNI has confirmed a device found at Belfast International Airport yesterday was a bomb.
A security operation was launched after airport staff discovered a suspicious vehicle in the long-stay car park.
The PSNI said the vehicle contained a viable device, along with an amount of flammable liquid.
It followed the discovery of a bomb under a railway bridge in Lurgan.
Dissident Republicans are being blamed. Martin Mc Guinness, Sinn Fein Deputy First Minister at Stormont has already described the dissidents as "Traitors".
Previous Up Dates:
These latest attacks come a week after the Real IRA in Dublin issued threats against State agencies:
The Real IRA in Dublin have said that they will target Gardai, DPP Officials and Judges in order to maintain their grip on criminality in Dulin. The Real IRA in Dublin which is made up of several dozen members and has carried out a number of murders in recent years in Dublin have said they will do what it takes to maintain their position in Dublin. It is known that the Real IRA in Dublin is simply a cover name being used by self profiting criminals and drug dealers to ply their trade of murder, intimidation and mutilation. The Real IRA in Dublin have been accused of taking protection money from drug dealers, however, the reality is that the Real IRA leadership in Dublin are now involved in the wholesale distribution of drugs in Dublin. The Real IRA in Dublin have come under increased pressure in recent months as they have been involved in a number of high profile incidents including murder. It is due to this pressure from the Gardai that the Real IRA in Dublin have threatened to target Gardai, DPP Officials and Judges. One of the Real IRA leaders in Dublin has said that they will make 1996 look like a tea party if they continue to be targeted by the Gardai.
The Story so far:
On Sunday the 3rd of October 2010 theirishobserver.blogspot.com warned the public that Dissident terrorists were about to launch a bombing campaign from their strong holds in Donegal, north Monaghan and Louth. On Monday the 4th October 2010 Dissidents caused wide spread damage when they exploded a one hundred pound bomb in Derry. Yesterday the Gardai in CountyLouth made significant seizures of Dissident weapons and explosives. The public must remain vigilant; while the Gardai are to be congratulated on yesterday’s success the Dissidents remain determined to cause death and destruction in Northern Ireland and in England.
The Story so Far:
A “significant” dissident republican explosives dump and arms cache has been uncovered by anti-terror gardaí in county Louth.
An improvised mortar, three kilos of TNT, bomb-making equipment and a pipe bomb were found hidden in a wood in Co Louth.
The weapons haul included a general-purpose machine gun, a shotgun and assorted ammunition. The TNT explosives – a powerful explosive commonly used by the military and in mining – were found in the wooded area near Dunleer.
The finds were the second massive blow to suspected factions of the Real IRA in recent days and followed 10 arrests and separate searches over the weekend.
Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy said the discovery was “significant” and added: “This find represents a further step in our determined strategy to target, disrupt and detect the activities of dissident republicans.
“We continue to work closely with our colleagues in the Police Service of Northern Ireland and in the Security Service to thwart the intent of a small group of people who want to inflict violence and pain on communities.”
Justice Minister Dermot Ahern praised the work of detectives, saying: “This was a very significant find at a time when the threat from dissident groups poses dangers for law-abiding people.
“I want to congratulate An Garda Síochána for their detailed work in this area.”
A Garda spokesman said a series of raids were carried out yesterday morning in Co Louth, which straddles the border with Northern Ireland, and its neighbouring countyMeath.
It is the second time this year that material for a suspected mortar bomb attack has been uncovered by authorities.
A device suspected of being made into a mortar was uncovered near Dundalk, Co Louth, in May.
The latest major operation, led by the anti-terror Special Detective Unit, followed 10 arrests and explosive seizures at the weekend in a wave of raids in Louth, Waterford and Wexford.
Bomb detonators and a small quantity of Semtex plastic explosive were seized.
Two men were charged in Dublin’s non-jury Special Criminal Court on Sunday night in connection with the anti-dissident operation.
Nicholas Kendall (aged 20) of Row Street, Wexford, was charged with unlawful possession of a semi-automatic pistol, ammunition and a bomb part.
Peter Butterly (aged 33,) of Cortown in Dunleer, Co Louth, was charged with being a member of the IRA.
The eight others included a 24-year-old woman and men aged from 19 to 71.
3rd October 2010 – irishobserver.blogspot.com
Coordinated Bombing Campaign Planned -
Dissident Terrorist groups have pooled their resources to carryout a coordinated bombing and shooting campaign this Autumn and Winter. The Dissident Terrorists will launch bomb attacks from their strong holds in the IrishRepublic, namely Donegal, north Monaghan and north Louth in the coming weeks and months. The Dissident Terrorists remain committed to carrying out a bombing campaign in England; this type of spectacular has traditionally been viewed as the life blood of Irish terrorism. Recent successes by the security services on the Island of Ireland have been a set back for the dissidents, however, these groups have been strengthened in recent months by further defections from the Provisional IRA and a significant number of new recruits who have been trained in weapons and explosives. The dissidents have also secured automatic weapons through their relationship with criminal gangs in Cork, Limerick and Dublin. Significant amounts of commercial explosives have not been secured by the dissidents and so they remain dependent on home made explosives.
It is essential that the public remain vigilant and that anyone with any information about the terrorists groups should provide that information to the Gardai or PSNI. It is essential that both the Gardai and the PSNI are given the resources necessary to monitor and where possible apprehend Dissident Terrorists. The border counties on both sides of the Irish border are going to be hot spots in the coming weeks and months for Dissident activity. Due to on going economic criminal activity by the dissident groups in the border areas (for example, smuggling) there is a significant tolerance level of their activity as many local people engage in the selling and buying of illegal goods.
Up Date 17th September 2010:
Four men from County Armagh have been arrested after customs officers seized almost 12,000 litres of suspected illegal fuel.
Police searched premises in west Belfast and dismantled a so-called huckster site that was selling cheap 'green' diesel.
In County Armagh, customs officers found underground storage tanks, containing 8,000 litres of laundered fuel.
There were five other premises searched in counties Monaghan, Roscommon, Meath and Galway.
Mike Connolly, Assistant Director, Specialist Investigations, HMRC said:
"The huckster site and filling stations we raided are operating at an unfair advantage over legitimate traders by selling fuel at a reduced rate.
"It is wrong that honest businesses should be undercut by criminals but our response is to ensure we are targeting those individuals and groups doing most economic harm in our communities.
"This is just one operation stopping the loss of millions of pounds of taxpayer's money - more will follow to dismantle organised criminal groups and their activities."
HM Revenue and Customs say investigations are continuing.
Origional Hub below:
Dissidents, Provisional IRA and Drug Dealers team up to profit from criminality.
During the embryonic years of the ‘peace-process’ when Provisional IRA murders and other criminality were viewed as ‘internal-housekeeping’ by the British and Irish Governments entrepreneurial terrorists made fortunes. While the terrorists continue to make vast sums of money from open criminality, the Gardai can now pursue that criminality in a way that they could not as the Government tried and succeeded in corralling Sinn Fein into the democratic process. However, people who would continue to be viewed as PIRA members are continuing to make vast sums of money from criminality. These PIRA members who have not joined any ‘dissident’ group have now teamed up with ‘dissidents’ and other criminal gangs to maximize their profits. Dublin’s north inner city is now home to an alliance of some of Ireland’s most seasoned and ruthless terrorists and drug dealing criminals. On an almost daily basis these terrorists distribute drugs, illegal cigarettes, fuel, counterfeit CDs/DVDs while at the same time planning and carrying out armed robberies where and when possible.
While the Celtic Tiger roared around the country in October 2006 few even blinked at what was a significant Garda raid in the leafy suburb of Rathfarnham in Dublin. The Gardai raided a very fine house that was nestled among the manicured lawns and polished BMWs of the up market Rathfarnham suburb. The house with a market value of at least two million Euro at that time was not the home of a property speculator or banking executive, but was one of the many properties owned by the Officer Commanding the Provisional IRA in Dublin. The OC of the PIRA in Dublin was a close working associate of one of Dublin’s most notorious or now infamous criminals, Christy Griffin. In 2006 a feud had broken out in the north inner city of Dublin, after it emerged that Christy Griffin had been accused of raping his girlfriend’s daughter since she was a toddler.
When the Gardai searched this fine house they were looking for a stash of hand grenades that had been sent from the PIRA in Belfast to a PIRA member in Dublin who was heavily involved in the bloody feud surrounding Griffin. There had been two hand grenade attacks before the Gardai raid on the house, the grenades were traced back to similar devices that had been used in Belfast. During this period and for many years before, the IRA’s commanding officer in Dublin had been involved in large scale high-jackings from the lucrative DublinPort. The PIRA leader had inside men at DublinPort and these men would identify large shipments of high value goods that would be easy to dispose of on the black market; cigarettes were a particular favorite as they could be sold in the markets and pubs around Dublin. The IRA Commander and his drug dealing associates were making lots of money, and as early as 2001 the IRA Commander who had no visible means of income bought the house in Rathfarnham for 900,000 Euro. The IRA Commander also bought himself a holiday home in Wexford and this house was close to another house that had just been bought by his sister-in-law. His sister-in-law was living in Wexford with a former PIRA prisoner, all of the members of this closely net group where heavily involved with Sinn Fein.
While this criminal empire headed up by the PIRA Commander in Dublin and the Christy Griffin gang were allowed to operate without constraint as the peace process was finding its feet, their multi-million Euro robberies were starting to cause problems for both the Sinn Fein leadership and the Fianna Fail Government who had lead them into democratic politics. The Gallahers cigarette company had informed the Irish Government that it could no longer transport its cigarettes through south Armagh or DublinPort due to the high number of PIRA high-jackings. The security services on both sides of the border felt that their hands were tied as any significant move against the IRA could not go ahead without political sanction. However, Michael Mc Dowell who was then Minister for Justice began to make public pronouncements that warned the Sinn Fein leadership that the honey-moon period was over and the State was going to take direct action against PIRA criminality. The Sinn Fein/IRA leadership was forced to close down its Dublin operation, the Provisional IRA Commander continued to maintain his business links with the drug dealers, but he was told that his association with the IRA would be denied if he ever appeared before a court for his criminal activity.
The Dublin PIRA was now able to get even more involved in the drugs trade as they had been disowned by the Sinn Fein/IRA leadership. By now Christy Griffin was charged, convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for the rape of his girlfriend’s daughter. Christy had always been someone the PIRA could deny and deny they did, but for those of us who know the truth Christy Griffin was one of the PIRA’s best earners in Dublin. Christy Griffin had been paid hundreds of thousands of Euro by the PIRA in Dublin for his good works on their behalf. The PIRA Commanding officer in Dublin continued and continues to pay money into the Professional IRA/Sinn Fein organization, this money is laundered through a myriad of front businesses. As long as the PIRA in Dublin, along the border and in the north did not stretch their criminal activity to ‘political terrorism’ they could be certain that they could get away with murder and there would be no political sanction against Sinn Fein. The recent murder of 22 year old Paul Quinn in CountyMonaghan by members of the PIRA shows that their assessment is correct. By association people like drug dealer Christy Griffin enjoyed the fact that the Government were turning a blind eye to organized crime that was associated with the PIRA. Griffin and the IRA Commander in Dublin were career criminals, both had graduated from youthful theft to violent crime, they both enjoyed the terrorizing of innocent people or anyone who got in their way.
Christy Griffin involved many members of his extended family in his crimes. His nephew Colm Griffin was a member of his gang. Colm was an ad hoc intelligence officer who would be supplied with the details of Lorries carrying valuable goods and their movements, he would also received information on banks and post offices that could be easily robbed and the PIRA would supply him with the guns to carry out those robberies. However, in May 2005 Colm Griffin and his associate Eric Hopkins were shot dead as they carried out an armed robbery of a post office in Lusk in north Dublin.
As the feud surrounding Christy Griffin intensified several people were murdered. Thomas ‘tomo’ Byrne was well known within the north inner city, a female relative had been assaulted by the PIRA Commanding Officer, Byrne retaliated by beating the PIRA Commanding Officer and was later shot dead for his act of defiance. The PIRA Commander believed that he had a license to murder and mutilate at will.
This feud had all started with the decision of a then 19 year old women to go to the Gardai and tell them that she had been raped by Christy Griffin from she was eight years old. This decision caused a split in the PIRA that had up until this point protected Christy Griffin and his associates. Those who supported Christy Griffin were simply trying to protect their sourse of income; those who opposed Christy Griffin were simply embarrassed because of their close association with Sinn Fein. The IRA Commander continues to enjoy the life of a wealthy businessman and uses legitimate businesses to launder money for his former PIRA comrades who continue to engage in full-time/front-line criminality including drug dealing. The PIRA Commander has been forced to pay The Criminal Assets Bureau 500,000 Euro but it has made little impact on his criminal earnings, some of which still makes its way to Sinn Fein.
At its height the Christy Griffin feud claimed several lives including Stephen Ledden who was an innocent by-stander in the wrong place at the wrong time. The Gardai have managed to maintain a presence in the hot spots that have been central to the Griffin feud and this has reduced the feud to a smoldering cheek by jowl fist fight. The north inner city remains a dangerous place, yet it also remains a place where a great deal of money can still be made from drug dealing, cigarette smuggling and so forth. Now in 2010 the entrepreneurs among the criminal gangs including the PIRA, dissidents and the traditional drug dealers have joined forces to maximize profits. The PIRA members still manage to siphon off some money to Sinn Fein but keep the bulk for their own luxury; the dissidents are pure criminals who can satisfy their leadership by occasionally getting access to semi-automatic weapons that come in with drug shipments. The drug dealers continue to enjoy licensed protection from the various terrorist groupings. This pattern is being repeated in Limerick, Cork and many other urban centers around the country, however, Dublin remains the real money maker for all concerned.
The Real IRA in Dublin have said that they will target Gardai, DPP Officials and Judges in order to maintain their grip on criminality in Dulin. The Real IRA in Dublin which is made up of several dozen members and has carried out a number of murders in recent years in Dublin have said they will do what it takes to maintain their position in Dublin. It is known that the Real IRA in Dublin is simply a cover name being used by self profiting criminals and drug dealers to ply their trade of murder, intimidation and mutilation. The Real IRA in Dublin have been accused of taking protection money from drug dealers, however, the reality is that the Real IRA leadership in Dublin are now involved in the wholesale distribution of drugs in Dublin. The Real IRA in Dublin have come under increased pressure in recent months as they have been involved in a number of high profile incidents including murder. It is due to this pressure from the Gardai that the Real IRA in Dublin have threatened to target Gardai, DPP Officials and Judges. One of the Real IRA leaders in Dublin has said that they will make 1996 look like a tea party if they continue to be targeted by the Gardai.
The Story so far:
On Sunday the 3rd of October 2010 theirishobserver.blogspot.com warned the public that Dissident terrorists were about to launch a bombing campaign from their strong holds in Donegal, north Monaghan and Louth. On Monday the 4th October 2010 Dissidents caused wide spread damage when they exploded a one hundred pound bomb in Derry. Yesterday the Gardai in CountyLouth made significant seizures of Dissident weapons and explosives. The public must remain vigilant; while the Gardai are to be congratulated on yesterday’s success the Dissidents remain determined to cause death and destruction in Northern Ireland and in England.
The Story so Far:
A “significant” dissident republican explosives dump and arms cache has been uncovered by anti-terror gardaí in county Louth.
An improvised mortar, three kilos of TNT, bomb-making equipment and a pipe bomb were found hidden in a wood in Co Louth.
The weapons haul included a general-purpose machine gun, a shotgun and assorted ammunition. The TNT explosives – a powerful explosive commonly used by the military and in mining – were found in the wooded area near Dunleer.
The finds were the second massive blow to suspected factions of the Real IRA in recent days and followed 10 arrests and separate searches over the weekend.
Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy said the discovery was “significant” and added: “This find represents a further step in our determined strategy to target, disrupt and detect the activities of dissident republicans.
“We continue to work closely with our colleagues in the Police Service of Northern Ireland and in the Security Service to thwart the intent of a small group of people who want to inflict violence and pain on communities.”
Justice Minister Dermot Ahern praised the work of detectives, saying: “This was a very significant find at a time when the threat from dissident groups poses dangers for law-abiding people.
“I want to congratulate An Garda Síochána for their detailed work in this area.”
A Garda spokesman said a series of raids were carried out yesterday morning in Co Louth, which straddles the border with Northern Ireland, and its neighbouring countyMeath.
It is the second time this year that material for a suspected mortar bomb attack has been uncovered by authorities.
A device suspected of being made into a mortar was uncovered near Dundalk, Co Louth, in May.
The latest major operation, led by the anti-terror Special Detective Unit, followed 10 arrests and explosive seizures at the weekend in a wave of raids in Louth, Waterford and Wexford.
Bomb detonators and a small quantity of Semtex plastic explosive were seized.
Two men were charged in Dublin’s non-jury Special Criminal Court on Sunday night in connection with the anti-dissident operation.
Nicholas Kendall (aged 20) of Row Street, Wexford, was charged with unlawful possession of a semi-automatic pistol, ammunition and a bomb part.
Peter Butterly (aged 33,) of Cortown in Dunleer, Co Louth, was charged with being a member of the IRA.
The eight others included a 24-year-old woman and men aged from 19 to 71.
3rd October 2010 – irishobserver.blogspot.com
Coordinated Bombing Campaign Planned -
Dissident Terrorist groups have pooled their resources to carryout a coordinated bombing and shooting campaign this Autumn and Winter. The Dissident Terrorists will launch bomb attacks from their strong holds in the IrishRepublic, namely Donegal, north Monaghan and north Louth in the coming weeks and months. The Dissident Terrorists remain committed to carrying out a bombing campaign in England; this type of spectacular has traditionally been viewed as the life blood of Irish terrorism. Recent successes by the security services on the Island of Ireland have been a set back for the dissidents, however, these groups have been strengthened in recent months by further defections from the Provisional IRA and a significant number of new recruits who have been trained in weapons and explosives. The dissidents have also secured automatic weapons through their relationship with criminal gangs in Cork, Limerick and Dublin. Significant amounts of commercial explosives have not been secured by the dissidents and so they remain dependent on home made explosives.
It is essential that the public remain vigilant and that anyone with any information about the terrorists groups should provide that information to the Gardai or PSNI. It is essential that both the Gardai and the PSNI are given the resources necessary to monitor and where possible apprehend Dissident Terrorists. The border counties on both sides of the Irish border are going to be hot spots in the coming weeks and months for Dissident activity. Due to on going economic criminal activity by the dissident groups in the border areas (for example, smuggling) there is a significant tolerance level of their activity as many local people engage in the selling and buying of illegal goods.
Up Date 17th September 2010:
Four men from County Armagh have been arrested after customs officers seized almost 12,000 litres of suspected illegal fuel.
Police searched premises in west Belfast and dismantled a so-called huckster site that was selling cheap 'green' diesel.
In County Armagh, customs officers found underground storage tanks, containing 8,000 litres of laundered fuel.
There were five other premises searched in counties Monaghan, Roscommon, Meath and Galway.
Mike Connolly, Assistant Director, Specialist Investigations, HMRC said:
"The huckster site and filling stations we raided are operating at an unfair advantage over legitimate traders by selling fuel at a reduced rate.
"It is wrong that honest businesses should be undercut by criminals but our response is to ensure we are targeting those individuals and groups doing most economic harm in our communities.
"This is just one operation stopping the loss of millions of pounds of taxpayer's money - more will follow to dismantle organised criminal groups and their activities."
HM Revenue and Customs say investigations are continuing.
Origional Hub below:
Dissidents, Provisional IRA and Drug Dealers team up to profit from criminality.
During the embryonic years of the ‘peace-process’ when Provisional IRA murders and other criminality were viewed as ‘internal-housekeeping’ by the British and Irish Governments entrepreneurial terrorists made fortunes. While the terrorists continue to make vast sums of money from open criminality, the Gardai can now pursue that criminality in a way that they could not as the Government tried and succeeded in corralling Sinn Fein into the democratic process. However, people who would continue to be viewed as PIRA members are continuing to make vast sums of money from criminality. These PIRA members who have not joined any ‘dissident’ group have now teamed up with ‘dissidents’ and other criminal gangs to maximize their profits. Dublin’s north inner city is now home to an alliance of some of Ireland’s most seasoned and ruthless terrorists and drug dealing criminals. On an almost daily basis these terrorists distribute drugs, illegal cigarettes, fuel, counterfeit CDs/DVDs while at the same time planning and carrying out armed robberies where and when possible.
While the Celtic Tiger roared around the country in October 2006 few even blinked at what was a significant Garda raid in the leafy suburb of Rathfarnham in Dublin. The Gardai raided a very fine house that was nestled among the manicured lawns and polished BMWs of the up market Rathfarnham suburb. The house with a market value of at least two million Euro at that time was not the home of a property speculator or banking executive, but was one of the many properties owned by the Officer Commanding the Provisional IRA in Dublin. The OC of the PIRA in Dublin was a close working associate of one of Dublin’s most notorious or now infamous criminals, Christy Griffin. In 2006 a feud had broken out in the north inner city of Dublin, after it emerged that Christy Griffin had been accused of raping his girlfriend’s daughter since she was a toddler.
When the Gardai searched this fine house they were looking for a stash of hand grenades that had been sent from the PIRA in Belfast to a PIRA member in Dublin who was heavily involved in the bloody feud surrounding Griffin. There had been two hand grenade attacks before the Gardai raid on the house, the grenades were traced back to similar devices that had been used in Belfast. During this period and for many years before, the IRA’s commanding officer in Dublin had been involved in large scale high-jackings from the lucrative DublinPort. The PIRA leader had inside men at DublinPort and these men would identify large shipments of high value goods that would be easy to dispose of on the black market; cigarettes were a particular favorite as they could be sold in the markets and pubs around Dublin. The IRA Commander and his drug dealing associates were making lots of money, and as early as 2001 the IRA Commander who had no visible means of income bought the house in Rathfarnham for 900,000 Euro. The IRA Commander also bought himself a holiday home in Wexford and this house was close to another house that had just been bought by his sister-in-law. His sister-in-law was living in Wexford with a former PIRA prisoner, all of the members of this closely net group where heavily involved with Sinn Fein.
While this criminal empire headed up by the PIRA Commander in Dublin and the Christy Griffin gang were allowed to operate without constraint as the peace process was finding its feet, their multi-million Euro robberies were starting to cause problems for both the Sinn Fein leadership and the Fianna Fail Government who had lead them into democratic politics. The Gallahers cigarette company had informed the Irish Government that it could no longer transport its cigarettes through south Armagh or DublinPort due to the high number of PIRA high-jackings. The security services on both sides of the border felt that their hands were tied as any significant move against the IRA could not go ahead without political sanction. However, Michael Mc Dowell who was then Minister for Justice began to make public pronouncements that warned the Sinn Fein leadership that the honey-moon period was over and the State was going to take direct action against PIRA criminality. The Sinn Fein/IRA leadership was forced to close down its Dublin operation, the Provisional IRA Commander continued to maintain his business links with the drug dealers, but he was told that his association with the IRA would be denied if he ever appeared before a court for his criminal activity.
The Dublin PIRA was now able to get even more involved in the drugs trade as they had been disowned by the Sinn Fein/IRA leadership. By now Christy Griffin was charged, convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for the rape of his girlfriend’s daughter. Christy had always been someone the PIRA could deny and deny they did, but for those of us who know the truth Christy Griffin was one of the PIRA’s best earners in Dublin. Christy Griffin had been paid hundreds of thousands of Euro by the PIRA in Dublin for his good works on their behalf. The PIRA Commanding officer in Dublin continued and continues to pay money into the Professional IRA/Sinn Fein organization, this money is laundered through a myriad of front businesses. As long as the PIRA in Dublin, along the border and in the north did not stretch their criminal activity to ‘political terrorism’ they could be certain that they could get away with murder and there would be no political sanction against Sinn Fein. The recent murder of 22 year old Paul Quinn in CountyMonaghan by members of the PIRA shows that their assessment is correct. By association people like drug dealer Christy Griffin enjoyed the fact that the Government were turning a blind eye to organized crime that was associated with the PIRA. Griffin and the IRA Commander in Dublin were career criminals, both had graduated from youthful theft to violent crime, they both enjoyed the terrorizing of innocent people or anyone who got in their way.
Christy Griffin involved many members of his extended family in his crimes. His nephew Colm Griffin was a member of his gang. Colm was an ad hoc intelligence officer who would be supplied with the details of Lorries carrying valuable goods and their movements, he would also received information on banks and post offices that could be easily robbed and the PIRA would supply him with the guns to carry out those robberies. However, in May 2005 Colm Griffin and his associate Eric Hopkins were shot dead as they carried out an armed robbery of a post office in Lusk in north Dublin.
As the feud surrounding Christy Griffin intensified several people were murdered. Thomas ‘tomo’ Byrne was well known within the north inner city, a female relative had been assaulted by the PIRA Commanding Officer, Byrne retaliated by beating the PIRA Commanding Officer and was later shot dead for his act of defiance. The PIRA Commander believed that he had a license to murder and mutilate at will.
This feud had all started with the decision of a then 19 year old women to go to the Gardai and tell them that she had been raped by Christy Griffin from she was eight years old. This decision caused a split in the PIRA that had up until this point protected Christy Griffin and his associates. Those who supported Christy Griffin were simply trying to protect their sourse of income; those who opposed Christy Griffin were simply embarrassed because of their close association with Sinn Fein. The IRA Commander continues to enjoy the life of a wealthy businessman and uses legitimate businesses to launder money for his former PIRA comrades who continue to engage in full-time/front-line criminality including drug dealing. The PIRA Commander has been forced to pay The Criminal Assets Bureau 500,000 Euro but it has made little impact on his criminal earnings, some of which still makes its way to Sinn Fein.
At its height the Christy Griffin feud claimed several lives including Stephen Ledden who was an innocent by-stander in the wrong place at the wrong time. The Gardai have managed to maintain a presence in the hot spots that have been central to the Griffin feud and this has reduced the feud to a smoldering cheek by jowl fist fight. The north inner city remains a dangerous place, yet it also remains a place where a great deal of money can still be made from drug dealing, cigarette smuggling and so forth. Now in 2010 the entrepreneurs among the criminal gangs including the PIRA, dissidents and the traditional drug dealers have joined forces to maximize profits. The PIRA members still manage to siphon off some money to Sinn Fein but keep the bulk for their own luxury; the dissidents are pure criminals who can satisfy their leadership by occasionally getting access to semi-automatic weapons that come in with drug shipments. The drug dealers continue to enjoy licensed protection from the various terrorist groupings. This pattern is being repeated in Limerick, Cork and many other urban centers around the country, however, Dublin remains the real money maker for all concerned.
The Real IRA in Dublin have said that they will target Gardai, DPP Officials and Judges in order to maintain their grip on criminality in Dulin. The Real IRA in Dublin which is made up of several dozen members and has carried out a number of murders in recent years in Dublin have said they will do what it takes to maintain their position in Dublin. It is known that the Real IRA in Dublin is simply a cover name being used by self profiting criminals and drug dealers to ply their trade of murder, intimidation and mutilation. The Real IRA in Dublin have been accused of taking protection money from drug dealers, however, the reality is that the Real IRA leadership in Dublin are now involved in the wholesale distribution of drugs in Dublin. The Real IRA in Dublin have come under increased pressure in recent months as they have been involved in a number of high profile incidents including murder. It is due to this pressure from the Gardai that the Real IRA in Dublin have threatened to target Gardai, DPP Officials and Judges. One of the Real IRA leaders in Dublin has said that they will make 1996 look like a tea party if they continue to be targeted by the Gardai.
The Story so far:
On Sunday the 3rd of October 2010 theirishobserver.blogspot.com warned the public that Dissident terrorists were about to launch a bombing campaign from their strong holds in Donegal, north Monaghan and Louth. On Monday the 4th October 2010 Dissidents caused wide spread damage when they exploded a one hundred pound bomb in Derry. Yesterday the Gardai in CountyLouth made significant seizures of Dissident weapons and explosives. The public must remain vigilant; while the Gardai are to be congratulated on yesterday’s success the Dissidents remain determined to cause death and destruction in Northern Ireland and in England.
The Story so Far:
A “significant” dissident republican explosives dump and arms cache has been uncovered by anti-terror gardaí in county Louth.
An improvised mortar, three kilos of TNT, bomb-making equipment and a pipe bomb were found hidden in a wood in Co Louth.
The weapons haul included a general-purpose machine gun, a shotgun and assorted ammunition. The TNT explosives – a powerful explosive commonly used by the military and in mining – were found in the wooded area near Dunleer.
The finds were the second massive blow to suspected factions of the Real IRA in recent days and followed 10 arrests and separate searches over the weekend.
Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy said the discovery was “significant” and added: “This find represents a further step in our determined strategy to target, disrupt and detect the activities of dissident republicans.
“We continue to work closely with our colleagues in the Police Service of Northern Ireland and in the Security Service to thwart the intent of a small group of people who want to inflict violence and pain on communities.”
Justice Minister Dermot Ahern praised the work of detectives, saying: “This was a very significant find at a time when the threat from dissident groups poses dangers for law-abiding people.
“I want to congratulate An Garda Síochána for their detailed work in this area.”
A Garda spokesman said a series of raids were carried out yesterday morning in Co Louth, which straddles the border with Northern Ireland, and its neighbouring countyMeath.
It is the second time this year that material for a suspected mortar bomb attack has been uncovered by authorities.
A device suspected of being made into a mortar was uncovered near Dundalk, Co Louth, in May.
The latest major operation, led by the anti-terror Special Detective Unit, followed 10 arrests and explosive seizures at the weekend in a wave of raids in Louth, Waterford and Wexford.
Bomb detonators and a small quantity of Semtex plastic explosive were seized.
Two men were charged in Dublin’s non-jury Special Criminal Court on Sunday night in connection with the anti-dissident operation.
Nicholas Kendall (aged 20) of Row Street, Wexford, was charged with unlawful possession of a semi-automatic pistol, ammunition and a bomb part.
Peter Butterly (aged 33,) of Cortown in Dunleer, Co Louth, was charged with being a member of the IRA.
The eight others included a 24-year-old woman and men aged from 19 to 71.
3rd October 2010 – irishobserver.blogspot.com
Coordinated Bombing Campaign Planned -
Dissident Terrorist groups have pooled their resources to carryout a coordinated bombing and shooting campaign this Autumn and Winter. The Dissident Terrorists will launch bomb attacks from their strong holds in the IrishRepublic, namely Donegal, north Monaghan and north Louth in the coming weeks and months. The Dissident Terrorists remain committed to carrying out a bombing campaign in England; this type of spectacular has traditionally been viewed as the life blood of Irish terrorism. Recent successes by the security services on the Island of Ireland have been a set back for the dissidents, however, these groups have been strengthened in recent months by further defections from the Provisional IRA and a significant number of new recruits who have been trained in weapons and explosives. The dissidents have also secured automatic weapons through their relationship with criminal gangs in Cork, Limerick and Dublin. Significant amounts of commercial explosives have not been secured by the dissidents and so they remain dependent on home made explosives.
It is essential that the public remain vigilant and that anyone with any information about the terrorists groups should provide that information to the Gardai or PSNI. It is essential that both the Gardai and the PSNI are given the resources necessary to monitor and where possible apprehend Dissident Terrorists. The border counties on both sides of the Irish border are going to be hot spots in the coming weeks and months for Dissident activity. Due to on going economic criminal activity by the dissident groups in the border areas (for example, smuggling) there is a significant tolerance level of their activity as many local people engage in the selling and buying of illegal goods.
Up Date 17th September 2010:
Four men from County Armagh have been arrested after customs officers seized almost 12,000 litres of suspected illegal fuel.
Police searched premises in west Belfast and dismantled a so-called huckster site that was selling cheap 'green' diesel.
In County Armagh, customs officers found underground storage tanks, containing 8,000 litres of laundered fuel.
There were five other premises searched in counties Monaghan, Roscommon, Meath and Galway.
Mike Connolly, Assistant Director, Specialist Investigations, HMRC said:
"The huckster site and filling stations we raided are operating at an unfair advantage over legitimate traders by selling fuel at a reduced rate.
"It is wrong that honest businesses should be undercut by criminals but our response is to ensure we are targeting those individuals and groups doing most economic harm in our communities.
"This is just one operation stopping the loss of millions of pounds of taxpayer's money - more will follow to dismantle organised criminal groups and their activities."
HM Revenue and Customs say investigations are continuing.
Origional Hub below:
Dissidents, Provisional IRA and Drug Dealers team up to profit from criminality.
During the embryonic years of the ‘peace-process’ when Provisional IRA murders and other criminality were viewed as ‘internal-housekeeping’ by the British and Irish Governments entrepreneurial terrorists made fortunes. While the terrorists continue to make vast sums of money from open criminality, the Gardai can now pursue that criminality in a way that they could not as the Government tried and succeeded in corralling Sinn Fein into the democratic process. However, people who would continue to be viewed as PIRA members are continuing to make vast sums of money from criminality. These PIRA members who have not joined any ‘dissident’ group have now teamed up with ‘dissidents’ and other criminal gangs to maximize their profits. Dublin’s north inner city is now home to an alliance of some of Ireland’s most seasoned and ruthless terrorists and drug dealing criminals. On an almost daily basis these terrorists distribute drugs, illegal cigarettes, fuel, counterfeit CDs/DVDs while at the same time planning and carrying out armed robberies where and when possible.
While the Celtic Tiger roared around the country in October 2006 few even blinked at what was a significant Garda raid in the leafy suburb of Rathfarnham in Dublin. The Gardai raided a very fine house that was nestled among the manicured lawns and polished BMWs of the up market Rathfarnham suburb. The house with a market value of at least two million Euro at that time was not the home of a property speculator or banking executive, but was one of the many properties owned by the Officer Commanding the Provisional IRA in Dublin. The OC of the PIRA in Dublin was a close working associate of one of Dublin’s most notorious or now infamous criminals, Christy Griffin. In 2006 a feud had broken out in the north inner city of Dublin, after it emerged that Christy Griffin had been accused of raping his girlfriend’s daughter since she was a toddler.
When the Gardai searched this fine house they were looking for a stash of hand grenades that had been sent from the PIRA in Belfast to a PIRA member in Dublin who was heavily involved in the bloody feud surrounding Griffin. There had been two hand grenade attacks before the Gardai raid on the house, the grenades were traced back to similar devices that had been used in Belfast. During this period and for many years before, the IRA’s commanding officer in Dublin had been involved in large scale high-jackings from the lucrative DublinPort. The PIRA leader had inside men at DublinPort and these men would identify large shipments of high value goods that would be easy to dispose of on the black market; cigarettes were a particular favorite as they could be sold in the markets and pubs around Dublin. The IRA Commander and his drug dealing associates were making lots of money, and as early as 2001 the IRA Commander who had no visible means of income bought the house in Rathfarnham for 900,000 Euro. The IRA Commander also bought himself a holiday home in Wexford and this house was close to another house that had just been bought by his sister-in-law. His sister-in-law was living in Wexford with a former PIRA prisoner, all of the members of this closely net group where heavily involved with Sinn Fein.
While this criminal empire headed up by the PIRA Commander in Dublin and the Christy Griffin gang were allowed to operate without constraint as the peace process was finding its feet, their multi-million Euro robberies were starting to cause problems for both the Sinn Fein leadership and the Fianna Fail Government who had lead them into democratic politics. The Gallahers cigarette company had informed the Irish Government that it could no longer transport its cigarettes through south Armagh or DublinPort due to the high number of PIRA high-jackings. The security services on both sides of the border felt that their hands were tied as any significant move against the IRA could not go ahead without political sanction. However, Michael Mc Dowell who was then Minister for Justice began to make public pronouncements that warned the Sinn Fein leadership that the honey-moon period was over and the State was going to take direct action against PIRA criminality. The Sinn Fein/IRA leadership was forced to close down its Dublin operation, the Provisional IRA Commander continued to maintain his business links with the drug dealers, but he was told that his association with the IRA would be denied if he ever appeared before a court for his criminal activity.
The Dublin PIRA was now able to get even more involved in the drugs trade as they had been disowned by the Sinn Fein/IRA leadership. By now Christy Griffin was charged, convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for the rape of his girlfriend’s daughter. Christy had always been someone the PIRA could deny and deny they did, but for those of us who know the truth Christy Griffin was one of the PIRA’s best earners in Dublin. Christy Griffin had been paid hundreds of thousands of Euro by the PIRA in Dublin for his good works on their behalf. The PIRA Commanding officer in Dublin continued and continues to pay money into the Professional IRA/Sinn Fein organization, this money is laundered through a myriad of front businesses. As long as the PIRA in Dublin, along the border and in the north did not stretch their criminal activity to ‘political terrorism’ they could be certain that they could get away with murder and there would be no political sanction against Sinn Fein. The recent murder of 22 year old Paul Quinn in CountyMonaghan by members of the PIRA shows that their assessment is correct. By association people like drug dealer Christy Griffin enjoyed the fact that the Government were turning a blind eye to organized crime that was associated with the PIRA. Griffin and the IRA Commander in Dublin were career criminals, both had graduated from youthful theft to violent crime, they both enjoyed the terrorizing of innocent people or anyone who got in their way.
Christy Griffin involved many members of his extended family in his crimes. His nephew Colm Griffin was a member of his gang. Colm was an ad hoc intelligence officer who would be supplied with the details of Lorries carrying valuable goods and their movements, he would also received information on banks and post offices that could be easily robbed and the PIRA would supply him with the guns to carry out those robberies. However, in May 2005 Colm Griffin and his associate Eric Hopkins were shot dead as they carried out an armed robbery of a post office in Lusk in north Dublin.
As the feud surrounding Christy Griffin intensified several people were murdered. Thomas ‘tomo’ Byrne was well known within the north inner city, a female relative had been assaulted by the PIRA Commanding Officer, Byrne retaliated by beating the PIRA Commanding Officer and was later shot dead for his act of defiance. The PIRA Commander believed that he had a license to murder and mutilate at will.
This feud had all started with the decision of a then 19 year old women to go to the Gardai and tell them that she had been raped by Christy Griffin from she was eight years old. This decision caused a split in the PIRA that had up until this point protected Christy Griffin and his associates. Those who supported Christy Griffin were simply trying to protect their sourse of income; those who opposed Christy Griffin were simply embarrassed because of their close association with Sinn Fein. The IRA Commander continues to enjoy the life of a wealthy businessman and uses legitimate businesses to launder money for his former PIRA comrades who continue to engage in full-time/front-line criminality including drug dealing. The PIRA Commander has been forced to pay The Criminal Assets Bureau 500,000 Euro but it has made little impact on his criminal earnings, some of which still makes its way to Sinn Fein.
At its height the Christy Griffin feud claimed several lives including Stephen Ledden who was an innocent by-stander in the wrong place at the wrong time. The Gardai have managed to maintain a presence in the hot spots that have been central to the Griffin feud and this has reduced the feud to a smoldering cheek by jowl fist fight. The north inner city remains a dangerous place, yet it also remains a place where a great deal of money can still be made from drug dealing, cigarette smuggling and so forth. Now in 2010 the entrepreneurs among the criminal gangs including the PIRA, dissidents and the traditional drug dealers have joined forces to maximize profits. The PIRA members still manage to siphon off some money to Sinn Fein but keep the bulk for their own luxury; the dissidents are pure criminals who can satisfy their leadership by occasionally getting access to semi-automatic weapons that come in with drug shipments. The drug dealers continue to enjoy licensed protection from the various terrorist groupings. This pattern is being repeated in Limerick, Cork and many other urban centers around the country, however, Dublin remains the real money maker for all concerned.
