National Archives 2020/23/28 START of file Ne·wspaper art-iclefs)/cutting(s) have not' been ,copied A= the House wi)l have heard, three ioentified terrorl. s•s'"' , orw... C lllt'!U CUl~·- ~ ~----·-··-- .. .., ... .._,,, .--~--.;.;,;;..; _;;:;;·-··- ... _ .............·.:· .. .• 'h•u--~ Security Forces in 1,ailn:alLc:1j." y.si:itc:..·do.;,· ~fte~noon , 'T'"Wo of record ~f tarrorist The !PA have since admitted that the tnree in Gibr~ltar. The b~ckground ani [acts are~~ fellows. Another x.nown IRA ter~urist, who w~~ under surveillance by the Spanish authorities, recently crossed into Gibraltar ~nd i& thought. to have carriP-d out a -· - _..._ .!. .... ' .... reconnaissance for an act ot ~errorism. .i. • n::s c:a ... ... ... " ... _.., on ;i·uesdays. Thli$ Gibral t~r Pol ice were a~nordingly placed on high alert, and the Police Commissioner asked ,£ - -- - .: " J .......... " .LU.I,. ,i.1.1. .1..1.i..u.L.:, tha threat. Shortly before 1.00 pm ye~te~day afternoon, one ot .,_ Gibraltar and was seen tc p~rk it .LU tha ::.rea where th~ Y.~!~~ .... "r! ··---- - -- · J a~~embles. Before leaving the car he was seen to ~pend soma time m~king ~djuctment~ in th~ vehicl~. Ail hour ~nd: half ~u~ ~~h~~~ ~ub5Pl'fl1P.ntly shot were seen to enter Gibraltar ......... ~ -.. .:--..-··-- .. i.-...-· __ ._ .. _....,..., 11\AIII"""" ..... a, ~l"\WT'I terrorist in ....... --····.; .. wv .. - •• - · - - · · -· the par~~d Henault cwr ........-----·':' ,..,..,... su~picion that it ocmt~d ned a boJ!lb, which appet1:r:·ed to b& · ccrrohorated by a rapid techn.toal eA'.arnin<lticn of the car, -. ..... , ... ,> ':... t • ·... .. " . ;,,,: >. ..." ... .: -· .. .../ r"i-'1 I ~._IT'\i"lr,,,J r.._,'-' 1-Ul'UJl-ll '1 ~hout 3:30 p~ ~11 three left the scene and started • ........ _ ... _......... ~ ...... ~,.. .... \.Ui= ,l,,IVA. ,..""._ ._uc..1 challenged by the. ~ecu~ity Foroee . When chi:illen>;18J +....... !-..-.~ 1 :' others were under U1~~~t. t.\...AA,..,, ..... t-.th¥fti- --- -••-Cl"'"+-- • to have been carrying arms. t The parked Ren~ult car was aubs~q-Jcntly dealt with by a military bomb dispo~al Enquiries carried out by the hove =~tchcd keys found ~n nn~ nf the bodie~ w1th a Ford Fiest.:: c~r, ~ub~eq1...1ently fo1.1nr1 c:in the Spanish side .... ~ CC!1"'1t"\l'"+ Cl . ~"'"'--"""._ !! !.. •. -··- :---!.- ... - • t-.:\T'I~-- ... - .- wire and an ~,Arm clock. A key was also found to a third explosives. ..... ~.l.i.i .i.ii~­ Gibr~ltar: ..... ,.' ~.""'"" - .",_,.~ -- ........... ---- ,i ..- ~h'? ~!'~a a.t-. wh i eh t.he band and solQi~L°li would have formed for the Tuesday parade. A school and an old ............... _ s;;n-- ;nvojved in the RID FCO LOi-iDOi~ It. ilii etiL.i.maLed that. ca&ualtii!s .:.:uu..id havt! run into i:.hrae f.iaur@s.. -- ..11 ....... 1-&a ....1- ........... __ ............... -- .... ..... ~ is uu wu,.u,..11. WUDl,.t::Vt::L \.UQ\. ~b Cl- ,l.t;;:b1.4J.I,,.- --- .. V.&.- _._ _____ ._ _.. b'•'l::IVCUI..C~o .. --- -·--- .&..\.. - ....t. _, - ··- - · - · - .... .I" ... ... '\. - -· -. /J ~-· • - .&.., .. ..,_ ~ ... ~~• 'W' 'lll'A.•,_, Wa&W,(11,,.¥ .... ~4-6._. ..... W ... A.... .... ... 1.6. "- .... \,af.. Ill~ ~ ..... -._. averted. to cur ;ratituda tc the Spanish authoriti&s -··.tr·,vai,,,..hi. ------- -----=-~cz~R~Jllnr,a--··-- Tha-··- n,,T",-.n'ffla------- m{ni-,'r---:,·· - have been very different. This coooeration. underlines in the tight against terrorism. NOTE Gibraltar Shooting - Passport Aspects Sean Savage 1. Department of Justice informed us on Monday that Savage was carrying a passport No. J630357 in the name "Brendan Coyne". The Passport Office checked and found that a passport of that number was issued in 1984 to a Mrs Sarah Callaghan, born in 1928. This information was passed to Justice and is the basis for the details given by Des Mathews to the Secretary. Until we see the passport it is not possible to say if the Savage/Coyne passport is a doctored version of Mrs Callaghan's passport (there is no report of loss or theft) a passport from the batch stolen from the printers in 1984. This set was unnumbered but bore the letter J. It is quite possible therefore that the forger simply inserted a number corresponding to Mrs Callaghan's. Mairead Farrell 2. An Irish passport K032528 was i~sued in February 1985 by the Passport Office to Mairead Patricia Farrell (date of birth: 3.3.1957). The Office has checked the photo on the file against that in the newspapers and confirms that it is the same person. This passport was properly applied for and issued. Daniel Martin Mccann 3. We have no record of an Irish passport being issued to Mr. Mccann. British Passports 4. The Department of Justice have informed us that the passports found on Farrell and Mccann were British. Ted Barrington Assistant Secretary Administration Division ( March, 1 988 Secret Gibraltar shooting - question of use of Irish passports Tanaiste, Following your query this morning I contacted the Secrebary, Department of Justice, Des Mathews about this. He told me the following. The Department of Justice so far have found it very hard to get information. They have made a formal request by telex to the International Liaison Office for details and the Garda Officer handling these matters has also made an informal telephone call to his contact in London. He was told that his contact is "away". He spoke to someone else in that office who said "it will be a matter of days" before they can supply information. Mr. Mathews wondered if there were getting the "run around" but he is not sure of this. In fact the information they have had so far has come from their contacts in the RUC. This is as follows:- The three persons killed in Gibraltar were carrying between then two British passports and one Irish passport. This latter passport was being carried by Savage and was in the name of "Brendan Coyne". The number was J 630357 which is in fa~~he number of a passport issued to a Mrs. Sarah Callaghan in ~/ff¥ through this Department. ( h . 1 n 8) Justice believes that Mrs. Callaghan is an innocent passport holder and that the passport is actually one of a batch of blank passports stolen some years ago which were imprinted with the letter J but which had no numbers as yet. They believe that the Proves probably inserted a number at random which happens to coincide with the number of the legitimate passport issued to Mrs. Callaghan. Noel Dorr Secretary t~ {f5t ) :=::-037:3:;::: T U E: 1 4 : 2 1 \ ,:"'\. : . • ...: _i:,, .. ..... - ...~ . ,. Issued by the Government Information Services, 6 Shelrbhfsf Eolafs. an R.ia!tais, Government Buildings, Tithe An RJaltals, Dubftn, 2.. Tel. (01) 607555, Teiex 25800. Ball~ Atha Cliath, 2 Tel. (01) 607555. T.ii~x 15600. Government Statement on Gibraltar Shootings The Government condemn all forms of violence and recl'.'::rr ~ t, the: necessity for security forces to take all reasonable nu:.~ .. ..;S .;.- ,:-, combat terrorism. The Government are, however, gravely perturbed that three unarmed Irish people should have been shot dead in Gibraltar on Sunday when it appears from reports that they could have been arrested by the security forces involved. The Governrnent are seeking full details from the British authorities of all aspects of the three fatal shootings, 8th March , 1988. The Government have made it clea occasions that the campaign of violence being conducted by the IRA is both morally wrong and politically futile. This campaign has been consistently rejected by the overwhelming majority of Irish people. It is driving the two communities in Northern Ireland even further apart and is making it immeasurably more difficult to achieve the peace, justice and reconciliation on this island to which all persons of good will are committed. The Provisional IRA has publicly accepted that the three people shot dead in Gibraltar on last Sunday were active members of that organisation and were present in Gibraltar in that. capacity. Their planned activity there, in so far as it can be anticipated, represents a frightening escalation of, and extension to, the situation in Northern Ireland. It 1s. •-'~n~~1tten i~,l~u.-~-l"·"~ v ery proper to point: out tath t h e act1v1t1es. of the security forces of any country must at all times be judged by the highest standards. wtt-i-tt ihe state has a right and duty ~deploy reasonab l e f orce in defending itself and its citizens, t_t is ~ e imperative that any circumstances in which its security forces have used extreme force, in particular leading to1} loss of life, must be clearly seen to have been justified in all the circumstances of the case. I shall be seeking furth~r information and clarification of the Gibraltar shooting through the Secretariat and~through it, shall be conveying the concern that exists about the circumstances of Sunday's shooting. 0493E The Government have made it clear on numerous occasions that the campaign of violence being conducted by the IRA is both morally wrong and politically futile. This campaign has been consistently rejected by the overwhelming majority of Irish people. It is driving the two communities in Northern Ireland even further apart and is making it immeasurably more difficult to achieve the peace, justice and reconciliation on this island to which all persons of good will are committed. The Provisional IRA has publicly acc~pted that the three people shot dead in Gibraltar on last Sunday were active members of that organisation and were present in Gibraltar in that. capacity. Their planned activity there, in so far as it can be anticipated, represents a frightening escalation of, and extension to, the situation in Northern Ireland.