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Massereene Barracks shooting

Coordinates: 54°43′18″N 6°13′51″W / 54.7216°N 6.2307°W / 54.7216; -6.2307
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2009 Massereene Barracks shooting
LocationMassereene Barracks, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
Coordinates54°43′18″N 6°13′51″W / 54.7216°N 6.2307°W / 54.7216; -6.2307
Date7 March 2009 (2009-03-07)
~21:40[1] (UTC)
Attack type
Ambush
WeaponsAssault rifles[2][3]
Deaths2 soldiers
Injured2 soldiers, 2 civilians

On 7 March 2009, two British soldiers from 38 Engineer Regiment were shot dead outside Massereene Barracks in Antrim town, Northern Ireland. Two other soldiers and two civilian deliverymen were also shot and wounded during the attack. The Irish republican paramilitary group, the Real IRA, issued a statement claiming responsibility.[4]

The attack

Reports stated that the attack began at approximately 21:40 that evening when four British Army soldiers walked outside the barracks to receive a pizza delivery from two deliverymen.[5][6] As the exchange was taking place, two gunmen in a nearby car (a green Vauxhall Cavalier) opened fire with semi-automatic rifles. Two of the soldiers, Sappers Mark Quinsey from Birmingham and Patrick Azimkar from London, were killed[7][8] and the other two soldiers and two deliverymen were injured.[9][10] After the first volley of gunfire, the gunmen approached the victims on the ground and opened fire again.[11][5] A few hours later, the car involved was found abandoned near Randalstown, eight miles from the barracks.[12]

The soldiers were to be deployed to Afghanistan the next day.[5] The shootings were the first British military fatalities in Northern Ireland since Lance Bombardier Stephen Restorick was shot dead by a Provisional IRA sniper in February 1997, during the period known as "the Troubles".[13] The attack came days after a suggestion by Northern Ireland's police chief, Sir Hugh Orde, that the likelihood of a terrorist attack in Northern Ireland was at its highest level for several years.[14]

Other incidents

In January 2009 security forces had to defuse a bomb in Castlewellan,[15], and in 2008 two separate incidents saw dissident republicans attempt to kill PSNI officers in Derry and Dungannon, County Tyrone.[14]

Two days after the Massereene Barracks shooting, a PSNI officer was shot dead in Craigavon, County Armagh. This was the first police fatality in Northern Ireland since 1998.[16] The Continuity IRA claimed responsibility for this shooting and stated that "As long as there is British involvement in Ireland, these attacks will continue".[17]

Responses

  • British Prime Minister Gordon Brown visited the scene of the attack on 9 March 2009 and met political leaders in Northern Ireland to urge a united front in the face of the violence. He stated that "The whole country is shocked and outraged at the evil and cowardly attacks on soldiers serving their country" and also that "No murderer will be able to derail a peace process that has the support of the great majority of Northern Ireland."[18]
  • Irish Taoiseach Brian Cowen said "A tiny group of evil people can not and will not undermine the will of the people of Ireland to live in peace together. Violence has been utterly rejected by the people of this island, both North and South."[19][20]
  • First Minister Peter Robinson suggested that the shooting was a "terrible reminder of the events of the past" and that "These murders were a futile act by those who command no public support and have no prospect of success in their campaign. It will not succeed."[2]
  • Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness said "I was a member of the IRA, but that war is over now. The people responsible for last night's incident are clearly signalling that they want to resume or restart that war. Well, I deny their right to do that."[18] He also stated that the attackers were "traitors to the island of Ireland".[21]
  • Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams condemned the shootings saying that those responsible had "no support, no strategy to achieve a United Ireland. Their intention is to bring British soldiers back onto the streets. They want to destroy the progress of recent times and to plunge Ireland back into conflict. Irish republicans and democrats have a duty to oppose this and to defend the peace process."[22]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Two British troops killed in N. Ireland". CNN. 2009-03-08. Retrieved 2009-03-08.
  2. ^ a b "'Real IRA was behind army attack'". BBC. 8 March 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-08.
  3. ^ Mallie, Eamonn (2009-03-08). "Two soldiers dead in N Ireland army base shooting: police". Yahoo! News. Yahoo!. Retrieved 2009-03-08.
  4. ^ "Real IRA Group 'Claims Army Barracks Attack'". Sky_News. 2009-03-08. Retrieved 2009-03-08.
  5. ^ a b c "Two soldiers shot dead in attack on Antrim barracks". Irish Times. 2009-03-08. Retrieved 2009-03-08.
  6. ^ "Pizza delivery men among wounded in Northern Ireland terrorist attack". Belfast Telegraph. 2009-03-08. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |access date= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ "Army names Sappers killed in Ulster attack and defends guards who did not fire back". The Times. 2009-03-09. Retrieved 2009-03-09.
  8. ^ MOD press release: Sappers Patrick Azimkar and Mark Quinsey killed in Northern Ireland
  9. ^ "Army attack 'brutal and cowardly'". BBC. 2009-03-09. Retrieved 2009-03-09.
  10. ^ "Pole Wounded in IRA Attack". Krakow Post. 2009-03-09. Retrieved 2009-03-09.
  11. ^ "How the barracks attack unfolded". BBC. 2009-03-08. Retrieved 2009-03-08.
  12. ^ "PM Brown in terror summit in wake of RIRA double murder at Massereene". Belfast Telegraph. 2009-03-09. Retrieved 2009-03-09.
  13. ^ "Two die in 'barbaric' Army attack". BBC News. 2009-03-08. Retrieved 2009-03-08.
  14. ^ a b "Two killed in attack on Antrim Army base in Northern Ireland". Telegraph. 2009-03-08. Retrieved 2009-03-08.
  15. ^ "Two British soldiers killed in Northern Ireland attack". Reuters. 2009-03-08. Retrieved 2009-03-08.
  16. ^ "Policeman shot dead in N Ireland". Retrieved 20090310. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  17. ^ "Two men held over PSNI murder". Retrieved 20090310. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  18. ^ a b "'Real IRA was behind army attack'". BBC News. 2009-03-08. Retrieved 2009-03-08.
  19. ^ "Two U.K. Soldiers Killed in Northern Ireland Attack". Bloomberg. 2009-03-08.
  20. ^ "Two British soldiers shot dead in Antrim". RTÉ News. 2009-03-08. Retrieved 2009-03-08.
  21. ^ "'McGuinness: 'These people are traitors". BBC News. 2009-03-09. Retrieved 2009-03-09.
  22. ^ "Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams Condemns NI Shootings". Sky News. 2009-03-08. Retrieved 2009-03-08.

Two killed in gun attack in Northern Ireland at Wikinews Real IRA claims responsibility for gun attack at Wikinews

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