Me

I'm just paroting the poster, Steven.

"Well. I feel better now. One of our top-tier conspiracy theorists is assuring us that there's nothing to worry about here."

I know more about this kind of science NOW than you EVER will. Be thankful it wasn't a project of mine.

British double-agent was in Real IRA's Omagh bomb team

Sunday Herald: Neil Mackay

Original Link: www.sundayherald.com/17827

SECURITY forces didn't intercept the Real IRA's Omagh bombing team because one of the terrorists was a British double-agent whose cover would have been blown as an informer if the operation was uncovered.

The security forces were forced to hope that their agent would provide them with intelligence to ensure that the bomb would go off without casualties. In the event, due to blundered telephone warnings, 29 people died on August 15 1998.

The revelations follow claims by another British double-agent in the IRA, Kevin Fulton (not his real name), that he phoned a warning to his RUC handlers 48 hours before the Omagh bombing that the Real IRA was planning an attack and gave details of one of the bombing team and the man's car registration.

The RUC chief constable Sir Ronnie Flanagan claims no such information was received, despite Fulton claiming to have a tape of a conversation with his handler in which the officer appears to admit the tip-off was received.

Both republican and intelligence sources say the RUC did not act on the information as one of the Omagh bombing team was a British informer. It is not known whether he was operating for the police, the army or MI5. There is speculation he may have also been working for the Garda -- the Irish police.

Last night, the Sunday Herald was told by republican sources that the Real IRA had launched an internal inquiry on Friday morning to find the spy in their midst. The man thought to be the agent is a senior member of the organisation.

Nuala O'Loan, the Northern Ireland ombudsman, has launched an inquiry into claims by Fulton that the RUC ignored his tip-off. John Reid, the Northern Ireland secretary, described Fulton's claims as 'unfounded allegations'.

One source said: 'The only reason the RUC would not act on a tip-off which stated a bomb was in the offing is if a member of the bombing team was a highly-placed agent and they needed to keep him in place.

'If the operation was allowed to go ahead then the agent would be seen as a good guy by the Real IRA; but if it failed, he could have come under suspicion of being an informer and been killed.'

Meanwhile, the republican movement was facing the complete collapse of its support base in Washington and across America over the arrest of three alleged IRA men with links to the drug-dealing Marxist terror group, FARC, in Colombia.

Republican congressman, Peter King, one of longest-standing supporters in Congress of Sinn Fein, said: 'If the IRA has done what it is accused of then that is inexcusable and disgraceful.'

King, seen by many in Northern Ireland as an IRA apologist, said allegations that the IRA was involved in a drugs-for-arms deal with FARC would have a 'serious impact' on Sinn Fein's standing in America. He added that the Bush administration wants answers. Bush has helped fund a 'war' against narco- terrorists in Colombia, including FARC, to combat the flood of drugs smuggled into the USA.

Richard Hass, the president's key advisor on Northern Ireland, has demanded a full explanation from Gerry Adams. Sinn Fein is hugely dependent on both political and financial support from the USA.

The party have been trying without success to distance themselves from the activities of the three men, despite the fact that one of them, Niall Connolly, was exposed by the Cuban government as Sinn Fein's official representative in Latin America.

King hinted that if Adams wished to preserve Sinn Fein's relationship with Capitol Hill he would have to prove that he was not linked to the 'hardcore of the IRA'. That will be difficult as it is an accepted fact that both Adams and Martin McGuinness are in regular contact with the IRA's ruling army council.

The three IRA suspects were last night facing deportation from Bogota as early as Wednesday. They would not automatically be sent to the country of their nationality. Instead they could be sent to a country for which they have visas. However, Britain could also request their extradition.

Also last night, came a glimmer of hope that the SDLP might accept Reid's proposals on police reform, which are a major stumbling block to peace. All sides must decide by Tuesday if they will nominate representatives to the Policing Board set up to oversee the transition from the RUC to the new service, which Sinn Fein has already rejected.

UK agents 'did have role in IRA bomb atrocities'


Henry McDonald, Ireland editor
Sunday September 10, 2006
The Observer


The controversy over claims that Britain allowed two IRA informers to organise 'human bomb' attacks intensified this weekend.
A human rights watchdog has handed a report to the Police Service of Northern Ireland, which concludes that two British agents were central to the bombings of three army border installations in 1990.

Meanwhile the Police Ombudsman's Office in Belfast confirmed it is investigating allegations by the family of one victim that the bomb in Newry on 24 October 1990 could have been prevented.


The British Irish Rights Watch report will also put the focus back on the alleged MI6 agent 'J118'. Army intelligence officer turned whistleblower Martin Ingram has alleged 'J118' was Sinn Fein's chief negotiator Martin McGuinnesss.
The Mid Ulster MP strenuously denies Ingram's allegations and has claimed the speculation is fuelled by the Democratic Unionist Party.

The 'human bomb' tactic involved forcing civilians to drive vehicles laden with explosives into army checkpoints and included deadly sorties near Newry and Coshquin outside Derry. Six British soldiers and a civilian worker at an army base died in the simultaneous blasts on either side of Northern Ireland.

British Irish Rights Watch said: 'This month BIRW sent a confidential report to the Historical Enquiries Team on the three incidents that occurred on 24th October 1990... at least two security force agents were involved in these bombings, and allegations have been made that the "human bomb" strategy was the brainchild of British intelligence.

'Questions arise as to whether the RUC, Garda Síochána and the army's Force Research Unit had prior and/or subsequent intelligence about the bombings. These questions in turn lead to concerns about whether these attacks could have been prevented and why no one has been brought to justice.'

Although British Irish Rights Watch has made no reference to the identities of the informers they allege were involved in the 'human bomb' plot, the group's intervention in the controversy is a significant development.

The group has issued several detailed reports previously outlining cases of collusion between loyalist terrorists and the security forces. These include the Pat Finucane murder and the killing of Raymond McCord Jr by the Ulster Volunteer Force. In both cases, British Irish Rights Watch claim many of the loyalists involved in these murders were agents for the security forces - allegations that were later substantiated.

Speaking from a secret location in Europe this weekend, Ingram (not his real name) said that while the latest report was not decisive proof over his claims about 'J1118', it raised questions about the role of informers in the 'human bomb' killings.

'This report from a very credible source brings up the question of informers working at the top tier of the IRA who were allowed to commit crimes up to murder while working for the state. 'I stand by what I have said in the past about "J118" and challenge anyone to debate it with me in a public forum.'

Ingram, a former NCO with the army's highly secretive Force Research Unit, said he was prepared to expose his own identity in public in any such debate.

I wasn't talking to you. I never even watched that. I've never heard Mos Def and probably wouldn't want to.

nobody cares about Rushdie anymore. that dude is so 20 years ago.

if they were gonna do something they woulda done it when he was running around getting drunk with supermodels, or when he was on tv so many countless times, or,...well they had 20 years of opportunity man, nobody cares anymore.

"so...they found car one, disarmed it and.....found car two..TWENTY HOURS LATER....and only god knows how long they have been parked there........obviously long enough to raise suspicion.
Who in the hell makes car bombs and has the detonator set for 24 hours+ later.......does not make any sense.
my guess is someone wants to send a signal.......without the attention to actually blow up anything."

The first guy drove his into a building and ran away. The second one drove away when they saw the device fizzled a little and couldn't even manage to catch fire.