O 091403Z MAR 09
FM AMCONSUL BELFAST
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1460
INFO AMEMBASSY LONDON IMMEDIATE 
AMEMBASSY DUBLIN IMMEDIATE 
NSC WASHINGTON DC
AMCONSUL BELFAST

C O N F I D E N T I A L BELFAST 000014 
 
EUR FOR WE, NSC FOR SHERWOOD-RANDALL 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL:  3/9/2019 
TAGS: PREL PTER PGOV UK EI
SUBJECT: TWO SOLDIERS KILLED IN NORTHERN IRELAND BY DISSIDENT 
REPUBLICANS 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Henry Bisharat, Political Officer, AmConsul 
Belfast, State. 
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d) 
Summary 
 
------- 
 
¶1.  (C) A March 7 gun attack by dissident republicans near 
Antrim which left two British soldiers dead, and injured four 
others, is the worst terrorist attack in Northern Ireland since 
the 1998 Omagh bombing.  The attack was carried out by the Real 
IRA, a small dissident group formed by IRA members who rejected 
the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.  It took place just days after 
the British government raised the threat level in Northern 
Ireland from "substantial" to "severe" due to concerns about the 
potential for dissident republican violence.  All of Northern 
Ireland's political parties have strongly condemned the attack. 
Prime Minister Gordon Brown visited the site of the attack March 
¶9.  First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister 
Martin McGuinness, who were to have left for the U.S. on March 
8, delayed their departure by a few days.  The Police Service of 
Northern Ireland (PSNI) is working closely with their Irish 
counterparts to apprehend those responsible.  The PSNI is 
concerned about future dissident attacks, and has stepped up 
their intelligence efforts.  Dissidents republicans have 
negligible support in Northern Ireland as there is strong 
support for the peace process and the normalcy it has brought 
across Northern Ireland's communities, a reality underscored by 
the strong statements of support for the peace process and 
revulsion at the attacks from all of Northern Ireland's 
political leadership. End Summary. 
 
Two Soldiers Killed in Antrim 
 
----------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (C) The Real IRA has claimed responsibility for a terrorist 
attack at the Masserene Barracks, near the town of Antrim, which 
left two soldiers dead, both of whom were scheduled to deploy to 
Afghanistan, and injured four others, including two soldiers. 
The incident occurred late March 7 as two Dominos Pizza 
deliverymen arrived at the barracks.  This is the first killing 
of a UK soldier  in Northern Ireland since 1997, and the worst 
terrorist incident since the 1998 Omagh bombing, was also 
carried out by the Real IRA, and which was formed by a small 
group of former IRA members opposed to the Good Friday 
Agreement.  The Real IRA claimed responsibility in a phone call 
to Irish newspaper "The Sunday Tribune".  The caller offered no 
apologies for the shooting of the pizza deliverymen, calling 
them "British collaborators."  One of the injured deliverymen is 
19 years old and the other, who was more critically injured, is 
a 32-year-old Pole. 
 
Political Parties Condemn Attack 
 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (U) All of Northern Ireland's political parties have 
condemned the attack.  In a public statement, First Minister 
Peter Robinson of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) expressed 
outrage at the incident, but urged the Unionist community to 
allow the police to track down those responsible.   Ulster 
Unionist Party (UUP) leader Sir Reg Empey termed the attack 
"barbaric."  Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) leader 
Mark Durkan noted such an attack "achieves nothing but grief and 
injury for victims and shock and disgust across the community." 
 
Sinn Fein Condemns Attack; But Criticized for Slow Response 
 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
 
¶4.  (C) Sinn Fein leaders Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness both 
made strong statements criticizing those responsible.  However, 
unlike other political leaders, Sinn Fein did not make a 
condemnation immediately following the incident, but waited 14 
hours until midday March 8, which has generated some criticism. 
In a prepared statement Adams called the attack "wrong and 
counterproductive." Adams noted that "those responsible have no 
 
support, no strategy to achieve a United Ireland.  Their 
intention is to bring British soldiers back on to the streets." 
In a televised interview March 9, Adams defended the delay in 
issuing a statement, explaining that his statement was 
unprecedented in Sinn Fein history, which had consistently 
opposed British military presence in Ireland.  Adams added by 
expressing sympathy for the families of those killed and 
injured.  In a televised interview the afternoon of March 8, 
McGuinness termed the attack "wrong".  He added "I was a member 
of the IRA, but war is over now.  The people responsible for 
last night's incident are clearly signaling that they want to 
resume or restart that war.  Well, I deny their right to do 
that." 
 
British Political Parties Condemn Attack 
 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) British political leaders unanimously condemned 
Saturday's attack on British soldiers as cowardly and committed 
themselves to avoiding a return to Northern Ireland's bloody 
past.  Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who traveled to Northern 
Ireland March 9, called the attack an evil act that would not be 
allowed to derail the Northern Ireland peace process.  Brown 
expressed the outrage "of the whole country" at the "evil and 
cowardly attacks" and pledged the government to doing everything 
in its power to make sure that Northern Ireland is safe and that 
"these murderers" are brought to justice.  Shadow Foreign 
Secretary William Hague, speaking for the Conservatives, called 
the attack "sad evidence" that efforts must be redoubled to 
ensure the peace process moves forward.  He stressed that those 
behind the attack have no popular support in Northern Ireland, 
and warned, "there is nothing they can achieve by violence and 
murder."  Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary Owen Patterson added 
his sympathies to the families and stressed that the 
perpetrators must be brought to justice quickly and denied the 
chance to disrupt the peace process.  Liberal Democrat leader 
Nick Clegg, addressing his party's spring conference on March 8, 
expressed sympathy to the families and friends of the soldiers 
who were "murdered so brutally," and said that the attack was a 
reminder of Northern Ireland's darkest days, which had no place 
in its present and future.  Northern Ireland Secretary Shaun 
Woodward is expected to make a statement on the attacks to the 
House of Commons March 9. 
 
Police Step Up Efforts to Capture Those Responsible 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶6.  (C) The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) is working 
closely with Irish counterparts to find those responsible for 
the attacks.  In early March the British government raised the 
security threat in Northern Ireland from "substantial" to 
"severe" in response to intelligence about dissident republican 
activities.  Of particular concern was the discovery in January 
2009 of a 300 pound car bomb near a military installation in 
Ballykinlar.  In the days before the March 7 attack, PSNI Chief 
Constable Sir Hugh Orde faced criticism from Sinn Fein and the 
SDLP for announcing he had asked for a small number of British 
military specialists to help analyze intelligence on the 
dissident terrorist groups.  Before the attack, Orde had termed 
the threat from dissident republicans as the worst in his seven 
years in Northern Ireland.  However, the PSNI has said it does 
not believe the attack was in response to either the increase in 
the threat level or the announcement of military specialists 
being brought to Northern Ireland,  but rather had been planned 
for some time. 
 
¶7.  (C) A senior police contact advised Consulate officer March 
9 that the PSNI are not treating the incident as a "last gasp" 
by dissident republicans, and they plan to step up surveillance 
of these groups.  PSNI will provide full briefing on security 
situation to Consulate officers afternoon of March 9 (septel). 
Given the strong, universal public revulsion at this incident, 
police and intelligence services are hoping that they will be 
able to receive help from local communities in Northern Ireland 
in order to apprehend those responsible, and before another 
attack can be launched. 
 
Comment 
 
------- 
 
¶8.  (C) Dissidents republicans have negligible support in 
Northern Ireland, where support for the peace process and the 
normalcy it has brought remains strong in both republican and 
unionist communities.  The political leadership in Northern 
Ireland, has been quick to condemn this act of violence, and 
though Sinn Fein's criticism of the attack as "wrong and 
counterproductive" struck some as not strong enough, Sinn Fein 
is now on record having criticized an attack on British soldiers 
and sent a message to its supporters that there is no 
justification for acts of violence in pursuit of the republican 
cause.  All of Northern Ireland's parties share the goal of 
wanting to avoid any action that would send the message that 
such an act of violence can disrupt the political process.  That 
said, there is initial speculation in London that the fact Sinn 
Fein criticized the deployment of additional military 
intelligence specialists to the North just days before this 
incident, may spark new Unionist concerns about moving forward 
with devolution of police and justice issues.  How Sinn Fein 
responds over the next several days in both its public 
statements on the killings and the need for republican 
communities to assist with the investigation will be closely 
watched by unionists. 
BISHARAT