Real IRA Dublin Real IRA Murder of Queen Elizabeth
A leading crime gang in Dublin who have been responsible for a number of shootings and murders in recent months, and who call themselves the Real IRA have secured a light 50 snipping rifle from dissident criminals in south Armagh in preparation for planned violence that will mark the Visit to Dublin of Queen Elizabeth of England 17-20 May 2011. The Real IRA in Dublin are now one of the main gangs profiting from drug dealing and racketeering and use a flag of convenience to justify their criminal activity.
Earlier this week three people were arrested after ammunition was seized in a pub ordered to remove a 40ft banner barring the Queen of England during her state visit to Ireland.
A source confirmed that pub owner John Stokes – father of Celtic player Anthony Stokes – was among those arrested on suspicion of possessing firearms.
Last month, a judge ordered Mr Stokes to remove his controversial sign from outside the Players Lounge in the north Dublin suburb of Fairview, and not to erect another one.
Gardaí raided the pub at around 10am 8/4/2011 as part of an operation targeting dissident republican and organised criminal activity in the capital.
A handful of bullets found in a shed at the back of the pub have been taken away for ballistic tests and it understood Mr Stokes was arrested at the scene.
A number of private houses were also searched in the Donaghmede area in a crackdown involving more than 100 officers, including the force’s special detective unit.
Another two people - a man and a woman - were also arrested during the operation and all three were detained under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act.
They were questioned at Store Street, Bridewell and Whitehall Garda stations.
The raids were linked to an investigation into a long-running turf war between the Real IRA and other drugs gangs in Dublin.
The bitter rivals are battling for supremacy in a protection racket and drug dealing empire targeting pubs and clubs in Dublin.
Last July, three men, including a doorman and two customers, were gunned down outside the Players Lounge.
Cocaine was also recovered during searches on 8/4/2011.
The two men arrested, aged 54 and 46, and the woman, aged 55, were held under section 30 of the offences against the state act.
Mr Stokes, 54, said last month that he reluctantly agreed to take down the massive anti-Queen banner after a senior Garda threatened to object to his application for late licences.
The publican said the livelihoods of his 12 staff members would be at risk if he did not get the licence extensions.
But outside Dublin District Court he vowed to continue his protest against the Queen.
This week, it was confirmed that the state visit to Ireland will take in a tour of several historically significant sites including Croke Park – the scene of a massacre by British troops – and Dublin’s Garden of Remembrance – which honours all those who fought for Irish freedom.
The trip, from May 17 to 20, will be the first by a British sovereign to the Republic of Ireland. It is known that the Real IRA in Dublin and other dissident groupings are planning street protests, however, it is also known that dissident terrorists will unite to launch a new wave of terrorists attacks in the North. These attacks were flagged by The Irish Observer at the beginning of 2011. The Real IRA Dublin have sought and secured a light 50 snipping rifle from dissidents in South Armagh that rifle has been trusted to two brothers whom lead the Real IRA in Dublin. While it is not known what the exact intention of the Real IRA in Dublin is in relation to the use of the snipping rifle, it is rumoured that an attempt will be made on the life of Queen Elizabeth or those who protect her.
Bombing capacity improves as more Provo Engineers join Dissident Ranks
Police in Northern Ireland have confirmed that a van at the centre of a major security alert close to the border yesterday contained a 'very substantial' bomb.
A number of controlled explosions were carried out on the vehicle found at a section of the main road between Belfast and Dublin, near Newry, after which officers confirmed a viable device had been found.
Confirmation that a bomb was discovered in Newry comes after motorists drove through the scene yesterday morning, unaware that a security alert was under way because traffic cones placed by police had been moved.
No further details were available, but the incident comes as detectives continue to question three men over the murder of Constable Ronan Kerr.
A 33-year-old man was detained in the Omagh area yesterday over the booby trap bomb attack that killed the 25-year-old Catholic officer outside his home in the Co Tyrone town last week.
Police were yesterday also given five more days to question a 26-year-old man arrested in Scotland on Wednesday and re-arrested on Thursday, plus a 40-year-old man arrested near Omagh on Thursday.
The under-car bomb that killed Constable Kerr was blamed on dissident republicans who remain violently opposed to the peace process. The Irish Observer had warned at the beginning of 2011 that under car bombs would be used in the coming moths, as such devices are easy to place, The Irish Observer also gave clear instructions as to how such attacks could be avoided.
It has also emerged that the groups are continuing to target policemen in the wake of his murder.
Senior police sources have said the public outcry following the young officer’s death has had no influence on the mindset of extremists, who remain focused on killing members of the security forces.
Detectives have evidence the dissidents have been actively targeting PSNI personnel since the weekend murder.
Officers do not want the nature of the intelligence to be made public for investigative reasons, but they say murder plots are being uncovered at a rate of one a fortnight.
One PSNI source added: “There is absolutely no indication the community outrage has had any impact on the mindset of the dissidents.”
No-one has yet claimed responsibility for the murder of Constable Kerr.
But officers have indicated that increasing links and co-operation between disparate organisations means a specific claim is not as relevant to their investigation as it might once have been.
They believe there are nearly as many as 30 distinct groupings operating across Northern Ireland, some claiming to be the Real IRA, some Continuity IRA, some from Oglaigh na hEireann, with other groups claiming no affiliation at all.
The Irish Observer would reiterate that which has been said here time and again, young Catholics joining the PSNI must make the security of their colleagues and themselves a key priority. Do not discuss your career choice while out socialising, which has happened and which has resulted in officers being targeted. Insure that you are stationed in an area where you are unlikely to be recognised, park your car in a garage at night and carry out the checks that you have been instructed to do. There will be at least another six booby trap car bomb attacks in 2011.
Real IRA Dublin Real IRA Who Are They?
Alan Ryan (30) was arrested and quizzed earlier this year about the brutal murder of Sean Winters outside Portmarnock DART station Sunday 12th September 2010.
He was one of 10 people lifted by detectives investigating the gangland-style execution. He was later released without charge and a file is being prepared for the DPP.
It is believed Winters was shot by a Real IRA terror gang waging war with other crime/drug gangs in Dublin.
The group is also suspected of the attempted hits on gangland godfather Eamon Kelly (63) last Saturday and his associate Brian O'Reilly (41) in August.
The gang, which is viewed as criminal rather than political, is trading on the name of the Real IRA to demand money from drug dealers across Dublin.
Gardai are investigating claims that criminals have come together to take out the gang.
A group calling themselves the Criminal Action Force contacted a newspaper to claim responsibility for the murder of dissident-linked hitman Daniel Gaynor in Finglas over the summer, and a shooting at the Player's Lounge pub where three innocent men were hit in a case of mistaken identity.
Criminals:
The group claimed the Real IRA has extorted €425,000 from criminals in the past year.
They also said they have drawn up a hit-list of 12 Real IRA members. It is understood criminals from Dublin's north-side are among the most eager to see the demise of the dissident group.
A number of Alan Ryan's associates were arrested in the Winters' probe.
A 31-year-old who is regularly spotted in the company of Ryan and his brother Anthony (34) was also lifted. The man is a director of a security firm and a motor business.
Anthony Ryan has a security license from the Private Security Authority, despite being convicted in connection with terrorist offences. He was not among the 10 people arrested this week.
Others arrested in last week's swoop also have security licenses with the PSA but do not have serious convictions.
The Ryan brothers were arrested when gardai swooped on a Real IRA training camp in Meath 11 years ago. The Ryans were jailed for three years each after the raid.
Meanwhile, another one of the men arrested during the week is a kickboxer in his fifties originally from Kilmore but living in Clare
Hall area in north Dublin.
His 24-year-old daughter was also arrested. Two of his sons, 21 and 28, were also lifted as part of the operation.
Two other men, aged 23 and 24 from Clare Hall and Raheny, and a woman (22) from Donore Avenue - who is dating one of the gang leaders - were also arrested. Other members of the gang who were not picked up include two brothers from Summerhill in Dublin's north inner city.
Those arrested were all released from custody on Tuesday night and a file is being prepared for the DPP. Winters, originally from Donaghmede, was a drug dealer who was part of a major gang operating in an area of Dublin's north-side, stretching from Baldoyle to Coolock.
Suspect
He was the prime suspect in the murder of Anthony Jenkinson (28), who was beaten to death in St Anne's Park, Raheny, in April 2001 in a dispute over drug money.
His cousin Noel Deans was shot dead in Coolock in January and he had spoken about getting revenge for that killing.
The Real IRA gang was among the suspects in that killing. It is also understood that Winters developed a bad drug habit in recent times and tried to take his own life on two occasions.
He was an associate of former gang leader David 'Babyface' Lindsay (38) and Alan Napper (39) who are missing presumed dead.
Lindsay had become involved in a dispute with the gang boss known as The Panda. He planned to have his rival murdered but was double-crossed by the hit-man. Traces of blood belonging to Lindsay and Napper were discovered in a house in Co Down but their bodies have yet to be found.
Criminals already tried to take out members of the renegade Real IRA gang at the Player's Lounge Pub in Fairview over the summer, but three innocent people were shot instead.
One of the gang who had been in the pub at the time had been outside for a cigarette but returned inside just before a gunman opened fire on innocent doorman Wayne Barrett in a case of mistaken identity.
Part of a bullet is lodged in his brain and he is unlikely to ever recover from his injuries. Two customers were also injured in the indiscriminate attack.
That shooting, which was claimed by the shadowy CAF last week, was believed to be linked to the death of an armed robber in Dublin last year.
Gareth Molloy was shot dead by gardai during an attempted raid. He only took part in the raid to raise money to pay compensation to a man connected to dissidents.
Molloy bit part of the ear off an associate of the Ryan brothers during a fight in the Player's Lounge around St Patrick's Day last year.
But the bite victim informed Molloy that he had to pay €6,000 in compensation or he would be killed for the attack. It was this demand that led to him taking part in a robbery in Lucan in May last year where he was shot by gardai after firing first and ignoring calls to put down his weapon. His associates vowed revenge.
The attack on Daniel Gaynor was revenge for the shooting of Collie Owens in Finglas in July. Gaynor was the hitman in the Owens murder, which may have been ordered by the Real IRA.
As well as being suspected of attacks on Eamon Kelly and Brian O'Reilly, the gang is also understood to have targeted two notorious criminals from Finglas.
The gang called to their mother's home over the summer in a move which infuriated the pair who were not in the house at the time.
Other associates of The Panda are involved in a separate feud which claimed three lives last year. David 'Fred' Lynch (26), Tommy Joyce (20) and John 'BJ' Clarke (21) were murdered in separate attacks linked to the feud.
Clarke's brother Jamie (22) was targeted in an assassination attempt in Coolock in the early hours of Friday morning.
The father-of-one was lucky to escape with his life after a gunman fired a number of shots at him outside a pal's house on Adare Road around 1.30am, hitting him in the leg.
Incident
He was talking to John Paul Brennan outside the house where a party was being held when the gunman approached and fired at least eight shots, one hitting Clarke in the leg.
A 24-year-old man was arrested in connection with the shooting in the area shortly after the incident. He was held at Ballymun Garda Station. Clarke has not made a complaint about the attack.
Brennan, who was not injured in the attack, was himself targeted in a gun attack in Kinsealy in January 2009.
There is no evidence to suggest the attack on Clarke is linked to Winters' murder.
Background:
Since it began reporting on the activities of terrorist groups in Ireland in 2003, the Independent Monitoring Commission has tracked the activities of the self-styled 'dissident' terror groups such as the 'Real' IRA and the 'Continuity' IRA.
In all its reports in the last few years, the Commission has repeated that the 'dissidents' are heavily involved in crime, primarily tiger kidnapping, armed robbery, extortion and smuggling. In its 21st report, issued earlier this year, the Independent Monitoring Commission also said the 'Continuity' IRA was involved in "brothel keeping".
Gardai in Dublin now see these groups as centrally involved in organised crime, including the murders of ordinary criminals who have refused to pay their extortion demands or who have otherwise crossed them.
Sean Winters, the 42-year-old north Dublin drug dealer who was shot dead as he walked along Station Road in Portmarnock last Sunday night is, ostensibly, a victim of republican gunmen. There was no political motivation whatsoever in his murder by the 'Continuity' IRA. He was murdered as part of a turf war over the distribution and sale of drugs in north Dublin.
The dissidents have completed the journey by republicans in Ireland from self-sacrificing idealists to pure criminals, in the same way that the republican revolutionaries of mid-19th Century Italy moved from the ideals of Guiseppe Garibaldi to the entirely criminal mafioso.
The same journey in Ireland began in the dying days of the Provisional IRA. Its members, particularly the Dublin-based brigade, moved from vigilantism against drug dealers to accepting bribes from particular drug gangs and then to carrying out assassinations of rivals to their dealers. Within a decade of Sinn Fein and the IRA leading marches of Concerned Parents Against Drugs to the homes of heroin dealers, the same people were heavily involved in the drug industry while still trading under the name of the Provisional IRA.
The Provos shot dead Joseph Foran, 38, a notorious gangster and heroin dealer, in Finglas in February 2000, not because of his involvement in the drug trade but because he refused to pay their extortion demands. Two months later, they shot dead Thomas Byrne, 41, an innocent man from the north inner city who had stood up to one of the senior Dublin IRA men who was heavily involved in hijacking goods containers from Dublin Docks.
In July 2001, the Dublin IRA shot dead Seamus 'Shavo' Hogan, 40, in south Dublin, passing the murder off as part of its campaign to rid Dublin of career criminals and drug traffickers. Hogan was, in fact, shot because he refused to pay protection and was involved in disputes with another south-side drug gang that was paying money to the IRA.
Joseph Cummins, 48, another career criminal, was shot dead in Tallaght in December 2001 because he too refused to pay up.
While the IRA was murdering to order in Dublin, the other republican terror group, the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA), which had been the paramilitary wing of the Republican Socialist Party, went headlong into the drug trade and became involved in feuding with Dublin gangs which it sought to control. Over the last decade, the memberships of both organisations in Dublin, and to a considerable degree in Northern Ireland, have merged.
The major shift from token republicanism for the IRA and INLA came in 2005 when the IRA announced the end of its 'armed campaign' and then finally announced its disbandment in 2008.
In response to the disbandment, the dissidents began moving into the crime territory which the Provisional IRA had begun to inhabit. Former Provisional IRA criminals, left with no name to claim, began firstly associating with and then adopting the mantles of the 'Real' and 'Continuity' IRAs. The evolution from the time of the 1981 Maze hunger strikes, when IRA men were prepared to die for the 'cause', to pure criminality has been completed.
Bernard Dempsey, 53, a former senior Provisional IRA man in Dublin and leader of the Concerned Parents Against Drugs in the south inner city in the Eighties, is serving life imprisonment for the murder of innocent James Curran in the Green Lizard Pub in Francis Street in 2005. Dempsey shot his victim dead when Curran confronted Dempsey after he watched him accepting an envelope full of cash from a notorious south city drug gang.
Dempsey transferred his allegiances to the 'Real' IRA and is now serving his sentence in its wing of Portlaoise Prison. His main former Provisional IRA associates in south Dublin now term themselves 'Real' IRA also. They have close links with the drug syndicate that has grown around the gang headed by the expatriate criminal Freddie Thompson.
On the north side of the Liffey, the former Provisionals are also in league with the dissidents and with the drug gangs. The former IRA gang which assassinated another innocent Dubliner, Joseph Rafferty, 28, in April 2004, is involved in the northside feuding that has been running for the past four years since the imprisonment for life of Christy Griffin for the rape of his partner's young daughter. Former IRA and INLA members are also involved in the latest round of feuding which started with the murder of gang boss Eamon Dunne, shot dead at the Fassaugh House pub in Cabra in April.
Gardai believe he was murdered by members of his own gang who thought he was plotting to kill them. The gang has split and the resulting turf war has drawn in the dissidents. So far there have been two deaths and four people seriously injured.
One of the most remarkable changes to have taken place among the republicans is that the new generation are drug takers as well as dealers. Last month witnesses told gardai that the young gunman who opened fire, with a gun in each hand, on the Players Lounge pub in Fairview, seriously injuring the innocent doorman and two customers, was "high as a kite".
As is almost universal with drug gangs, the dissidents are prone to splitting and feuding. There are dissident elements on both sides in the current feud in north Dublin.
Gardai say that the names 'Continuity' and 'Real' are apparently interchangeable. The group involved in the assassination of Sean Winters last week is currently using the name 'Continuity', but five years ago it was terming itself 'Real' and part of the group led by the founder of the Real IRA, Michael McKevitt.
Prisoners on the dissident wing in Portlaoise Prison regularly fall out with each other. Last year one of the prisoners who had been the 'officer commanding' on the Real IRA landing was apparently expelled amid accusations of cocaine dealing. The 'republicans' are believed to be the main source of drugs and mobile phones coming into the jail for ordinary prisoners.
The dissidents were also behind the campaign of arson and grenade attacks on head shops. They carried out the attacks, gardai believe, as part of their 'protection' duties for the drug dealers.
Outside Dublin, the same patterns have emerged. In Derry and the north-west, they have been carrying out a campaign of shooting drug dealers who refuse to pay them protection. In Newry and the Border area, where some of the 'Real' IRA now term themselves 'Republican Action Against Drugs', local people say the young members are mainly heavy drug users. One 'Continuity' group with members in the Dundalk, Dublin and Limerick areas is heavily involved in prostitution and the trafficking of young women from Eastern Europe where they have established links with cigarette gangs.
In Dublin last week, one Continuity group issued a statement disavowing those (former 'Real' IRA now terming themselves 'Continuity') members responsible for the murder of Sean Winters.
Senior Garda sources say it seems unlikely that the downward drift into criminality will be reversed. The exposure of the Provisional IRA's drift into crime in Dublin was one of the main reasons for the erosion of Sinn Fein's electoral base in traditional working-class areas. The dissidents do not have any public support and no political wing or electoral base on which to build a political movement. Without this, they have become criminal groups merging with ordinary criminal gangs and being drawn into their feuds.
