R 141811Z DEC 92
FM AMEMBASSY LONDON
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 4125
INFO NATO EC COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 LONDON 23667 
 
 
E.O. 12356: N/A 
TAGS: PTER KPRP UK EI
SUBJECT:  UNITED KINGDOM:  1992 ANNUAL TERRORISM REPORT 
 
REF:  STATE 338430 
 
¶1.   FOLLOWING IS EMBASSY INPUT FOR THE UK PORTION OF 
THE 1992 ANNUAL TERRORISM REPORT.  RESPONSES ARE KEYED 
TO QUESTIONS POSED IN PARA 5 REFTEL. 
 
¶2.   PROSECUTIONS INVOLVING INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM 
AND/OR SIGNIFICANT ACTS OF DOMESTIC TERRORISM: 
 
--   HMG, LIKE THE USG, ISSUED INDICTMENTS OF TWO 
     LIBYANS FOR ALLEGED INVOLVEMENT IN THE 1988 BOMBING 
     OF PAN AM 103 ON NOVEMBER 27, 1991.  HMG HAS 
     COOPERATED CLOSELY WITH THE USG AND FRANCE IN 
     DEMANDING THE SURRENDER OF THE SUSPECTS FOR TRIAL 
     IN SCOTLAND OR THE U.S., AND IN OBTAINING UN 
     SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTIONS 731 AND 748 ENDORSING 
     THAT DEMAND. 
 
--   PROSECUTION OF SUSPECTED TERRORISTS IN NORTHERN 
     IRELAND CONTINUES AT A HIGH LEVEL.  IN THE FIRST 
     NINE MONTHS OF 1992, MORE THAN 270 PERSONS WERE 
     CONVICTED IN THE UK ON CHARGES RELATED TO NORTHERN 
     IRISH TERRORISM, MOSTLY IN NORTHERN IRELAND.  FINAL 
     1992 STATISTICS WILL BE PROVIDED IN JANUARY. 
 
--   POLICE ON THE BRITISH MAINLAND HAVE CONFISCATED AT 
     LEAST 17 TONS OF EXPLOSIVES IN 1992, ALL APPARENTLY 
     INTENDED FOR PROVISIONAL IRISH REPUBLICAN ARMY 
     (PIRA) ATTACKS.  SEVERAL COURT CASES ARE PENDING. 
 
 
 
¶3.   EXTRADITION OF SUSPECTED TERRORISTS FOR PROSECUTION: 
 
--   GERARD HANRATTY WAS EXTRADITED TO THE UNITED 
     KINGDOM FROM GERMANY TO STAND TRIAL FOR TERRORIST 
     OFFENSES. 
 
--   CONVICTED PIRA MURDERER JOSEPH DOHERTY WAS DEPORTED 
     FROM NEW YORK IN FEBRUARY, AFTER A NINE-YEAR LEGAL 
     STRUGGLE TO REMAIN IN THE U.S., TO RESUME A LIFE 
     SENTENCE IN NORTHERN IRELAND. 
 
--   HMG IN JULY REQUESTED THE EXTRADITION OF JAMES 
     JOSEPH SMYTH AND KEVIN ARTT FROM CALIFORNIA.  THE 
     TWO MEN HAD ESCAPED FROM PRISON IN NORTHERN IRELAND 
     IN 1983, WHERE THEY WERE SERVING SENTENCES FOR 
     ATTEMPTED MURDER AND MURDER, RESPECTIVELY. 
 
¶4.   SIGNIFICANT IMPEDIMENTS TO HOST GOVERNMENT 
PROSECUTION AND/OR EXTRADITION OF SUSPECTED TERRORISTS: 
 
--   INTIMIDATION OF JUDGES, JURORS AND WITNESSES HAS 
     BEEN A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM IN NORTHERN IRELAND.  AS 
     A RESULT, MOST TRIALS OF TERRORIST SUSPECTS THERE 
     ARE CONDUCTED WITHOUT JURIES ("DIPLOCK COURTS"), 
     AND THE IDENTITY OF WITNESSES CAN BE WITHHELD FROM 
     THE DEFENSE. 
 
--   AS A RESULT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT FORENSIC EVIDENCE 
     AND POLICE EXTRACTION OF CONFESSIONS, 18 PERSONS 
     PREVIOUSLY CONVICTED OF TERRORIST OFFENSES IN 
     BRITAIN HAVE BEEN RELEASED BY APPEALS COURTS SINCE 
     ¶1989. 
 
--   SUBSEQUENTLY, PROSECUTORS HAVE BEEN RELUCTANT TO 
     BRING CASES TO COURT UNLESS THE EVIDENCE WAS 
     OVERWHELMING, AND JURIES HAVE BEEN RELUCTANT TO 
     CONVICT.  KEVIN O'DONNELL, ACQUITTED ON TERRORIST 
     CHARGES IN LONDON IN LATE 1991, WAS KILLED IN 
     NORTHERN IRELAND IN FEBRUARY 1992 WHILE 
     PARTICIPATING IN A PIRA ATTACK ON A POLICE STATION. 
 
--   EXTRADITION OF SUSPECTED TERRORISTS FROM THE 
     REPUBLIC OF IRELAND REMAINS A CONTENTIOUS ISSUE, 
     DESPITE IMPROVEMENTS IN PROCEDURES AND MUTUAL 
     CONFIDENCE RESULTING FROM THE 1985 ANGLO-IRISH 
     AGREEMENT AND DUBLIN'S 1987 RATIFICATION OF THE 
     EUROPEAN CONVENTION ON THE SUPPRESSION OF TERRORISM. 
 
¶5.   HOST GOVERNMENT RESPONSES OTHER THAN PROSECUTION: 
 
--   UK POLICY REMAINS STEADFAST IN REFUSING TO 
     COUNTENANCE ANY CONCESSION TO TERRORISM, AND IS 
     WHOLLY CONSISTENT WITH U.S. POLICY. 
 
--   AS NOTED ABOVE, HMG WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN HELPING 
     OBTAIN UN SECURITY COUNCIL CONDEMNATION OF APPARENT 
     LIBYAN INVOLVEMENT IN THE BOMBINGS OF PAN AM 103 IN 
     1988 AND UTA 772 IN 1989. 
 
--   THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT'S MAIN LEGAL TOOLS IN THE 
     FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM ARE THE PREVENTION OF 
     TERRORISM (TEMPORARY PROVISIONS) ACT OF 1989 (PTA) 
     AND THE NORTHERN IRELAND (EMERGENCY PROVISIONS) ACT 
     OF 1991 (EPA).  BOTH RE-ENACTED AND AMENDED 
     PROVISIONS OF EARLIER LAWS. 
 
--   UNDER THE PTA, CABINET MINISTERS MAY EXCLUDE 
     PERSONS SUSPECTED OF INVOLVEMENT WITH TERRORISM 
     FROM ALL OR ANY PART OF THE UNITED KINGDOM. 
 
--   POLICE MAY DETAIN SUSPECTED TERRORISTS WITHOUT 
     CHARGE FOR 48 HOURS, AND FOR A FURTHER FIVE DAYS 
     WITH THE APPROVAL OF THE APPROPRIATE CABINET 
     MINISTER.  IN THE FIRST NINE MONTHS OF 1992, 1512 
     PERSONS WERE DETAINED UNDER THE PTA; IN 337 OF 
     THESE CASES, THE DETENTIONS WERE EXTENDED BEYOND 
     THE INITIAL 48 HOURS.  FULL-YEAR STATISTICS WILL BE 
     PROVIDED IN JANUARY. 
 
--   BRITISH SECURITY FORCES PARTICIPATED IN 
     INVESTIGATION LEADING TO THE CONVICTION OF ONE 
     PIRA MEMBER IN GERMANY IN JUNE, THE TRIAL OF THREE 
     OTHERS IN GERMANY IN OCTOBER, AND THE INDICTMENT OF 
     FOUR PERSONS IN NEW YORK IN NOVEMBER ON CHARGES OF 
     CONSPIRACY TO SMUGGLE ARMS TO PIRA. 
 
¶6.   MAJOR COUNTERTERRORISM EFFORTS: 
 
--   USING NEW POWERS CONTAINED IN THE 1991 EPA, POLICE 
     IN NORTHERN IRELAND RAIDED SOME 30 SUSPECTED PIRA 
     RACKETEERING AND MONEY-LAUNDERING VENTURES IN MAY. 
     PROTECTION RACKETS, TAX FRAUD, AND RAKED-OFF 
     PROFITS FROM TAXIS AND DRINKING CLUBS REPORTEDLY 
     NOW CONSTITUTE THE MAIN SOURCES OF PIRA INCOME. 
 
--   IN AUGUST, THE GOVERNMENT ADDED THE LOYALIST 
     (PROTESTANT) ULSTER DEFENSE ASSOCIATION (UDA) TO 
     ITS LIST OF PROSCRIBED ORGANIZATIONS, JOINING PIRA, 
     THE IRISH NATIONAL LIBERATION ARMY (INLA), THE 
     IRISH PEOPLE'S LIBERATION ORGANIZATION (IPLO), THE 
     ULSTER VOLUNTEER FORCE (UVF), THE ULSTER FREEDOM 
     FIGHTERS (UFF) AND THE RED HAND COMMANDO. 
     MEMBERSHIP IN ANY OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS IS A 
     CRIMINAL OFFENSE, AND DIRECT BROADCASTS BY THEIR 
     SPOKESMEN ARE NOT ALLOWED ON ELECTRONIC MEDIA. 
 
--   IN MAY, THE HOME SECRETARY ANNOUNCED THE TRANSFER 
     OF LEAD RESPONSIBILITY FOR GATHERING INTELLIGENCE 
     ON IRISH REPUBLICAN TERRORISM IN GREAT BRITAIN FROM 
     THE METROPOLITAN POLICE SPECIAL BRANCH TO THE 
     SECURITY SERVICE (MI5), WHICH WAS ALREADY 
     RESPONSIBLE FOR INTELLIGENCE ON INTERNATIONAL AND 
     NORTHERN IRELAND LOYALIST TERRORISM ON THE BRITISH 
     MAINLAND. 
 
--   THE UNITED KINGDOM PARTICIPATES ACTIVELY IN 
     INTERNATIONAL COUNTERTERRORISM FORA, COORDINATING 
     ITS ACTIVITIES CLOSELY WITH THE U.S. AND OTHERS. 
     IT ALSO PROVIDES COUNTERTERRORISM ASSSISTANCE AND 
     EXPERTISE TO NUMEROUS GOVERNMENTS ON A BILATERAL 
     BASIS. 
 
¶7.   SIGNIFICANT HOST GOVERNMENT SUPPORT FOR 
INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM: 
 
--   THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT PROVIDES NO SUPPORT FOR ANY 
     INTERNATIONAL TERRORIST ORGANIZATION, AND 
     COOPERATES CLOSELY WITH THE U.S. IN APPLYING 
     PRESSURE ON GOVERNMENTS THAT SUPPORT OR CONDONE 
     TERRORISM. 
 
¶8.   STATEMENTS IN SUPPORT OF TERRORIST-SUPPORTING 
     COUNTRIES: 
 
--   THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT HAS MADE NO SUCH STATEMENTS. 
 
¶9.   SIGNIFICANT CHANGES SINCE 1991 IN HOST GOVERNMENT 
ATTITUDE TOWARD TERRORISM: 
 
--   THERE HAS BEEN NO SUCH CHANGE.  HMG REMAINS 
     ADAMANTLY OPPOSED TO TERRORISM IN ALL FORMS. 
 
¶10.  HOST GOVERNMENT COMPLIANCE WITH SECURITY COUNCIL 
RESOLUTIONS ON LIBYA: 
 
--   THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT, A DRAFTER OF THE UNSC 
     RESOLUTIONS, HAS COMPLIED FULLY WITH THEIR 
     PROVISIONS. 
 
SEITZ