"Document also outlines how David Trimble told government that people in both unionism and nationalism were too tolerant of criminality but the effect was 'corrosive' Major gangster Thomas 'Slab' Murphy was on the IRA Army Council in 2002, according to a previously secret Downing Street file - with both British and US officials repeatedly speaking of him by name. Files opened at The National Archives in Kew show how Britain kept close watch on the makeup of the IRA's key body,"
" assessing not just who was in charge of the IRA, but also the outlook of those people and what it meant for the balance of power within the terror group. Join the Irish Independent WhatsApp channel Stay up to date with all the latest news"
A previously secret Downing Street file records that Thomas 'Slab' Murphy, a major gangster, was on the IRA Army Council in 2002. British and US officials repeatedly named Murphy when assessing the IRA leadership. Files at The National Archives in Kew show Britain monitored the IRA's key body's composition and evaluated members' outlooks and the implications for internal balance of power. The documents record that David Trimble told government figures that people in both unionism and nationalism were too tolerant of criminality, and that this tolerance produced a 'corrosive' effect. The records indicate sustained government attention to paramilitary and criminal intersections.
Read at Independent
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]