Claudy bombing
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| Claudy Bombing | |
|---|---|
| Location | Claudy, Northern Ireland |
| Date | 31 July 1972 |
| Attack type | car bombing |
| Deaths | 9 |
The Claudy bombing occurred on Monday, 31 July 1972, when three car bombs exploded mid-morning in the centre of the town of Claudy in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The motive for the attack has never been ascertained, and no group has admitted carrying out the attack, which took place without a warning.
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[edit] The bombs
The three car bombs were placed at intervals along the town's High Street, which was busy with shoppers at the time of the attack. The attack killed six people immediately, with three later dying from their injuries. A young girl and two teenage boys were among the dead. Five of the victims were Roman Catholic, and four were Protestant.
The attacks coincided with Operation Motorman, a British Army operation to re-establish control of areas in Belfast and Derry which had become "no-go areas".
A memorial to those killed and injured as a result of the bombing was later placed in Claudy High Street, with a bronze figure of a girl as the central part of the site, which also includes a number of plaques.
[edit] Suspected involvement of Provisional IRA
The Derry City wing of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) denied involvement at the time of the attack. However, Derry politician Ivan Cooper claimed that the IRA was involved in the attack and that a local Catholic priest, Father James Chesney, who died of cancer in 1980, was the leader of the attack. Cooper stated:
"Within a couple of days, a man lurked like a scared rabbit outside one of my constituency offices. He told me the IRA was behind the bomb and I had every reason to believe him. He gave no names and I asked no names. That is the way it was then. It was dangerous to know too much. But several months later, I became aware of the identities and I have absolutely no doubt that Father Jim Chesney was involved."[1]
According to 2002 press reports Chesney was a suspected member of the IRA's South Derry Brigade, and is alleged to have joined the paramilitary group after Bloody Sunday. His level of involvement in the bombing is unconfirmed and varies according to different sources. It is so far unknown whether the witness that made the original claims of Chesney's involvement has made an official statement.
Some time after the bombing Chesney was questioned by the then Bishop of Derry Neil Farren, and later again by Farren's successor Bishop Edward Daly. At both times Chesney denied any involvement. After his identity and location had been published in a loyalist publication in 1978, Chesney was transferred to a remote parish in the West of Ireland and later to a parish near Desertmartin to Malin Head in County Donegal, where he died in 1980.[citation needed]
[edit] Ongoing investigation
No person was arrested for the attack at the time but following calls for a new inquiry into the attack, a fresh investigation was started by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) in 2002.
On 30 November 2005, the PSNI detained four people in connection with the bombing attack.[2] However they were released without charge on 1 December 2005, and deny involvement in the bombings.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ Guardian Unlimited - Does this letter prove a priest was behind IRA bombing?.
- ^ BBC News - Four still held on 1972 bombings.
- ^ BBC News - Police preparing 1972 bomb report.
[edit] External links
- Irish News Article on the bombing
- CAIN project in context and also here with the 1997 CAIN claims.
- Telgraph article from 2002 with allegations of bugging and Chesney's involvement.
- The Ballad of Claudy by James Simmons
