Ahern says Birmingham bomb was not a ‘one-off’

The Birmingham car bomb was just one event in an ongoing campaign of violence by the Real IRA, the Taoiseach Mr Bertie Ahern …

The Birmingham car bomb was just one event in an ongoing campaign of violence by the Real IRA, the Taoiseach Mr Bertie Ahern said today.

Speaking in the Dáil today, Mr Ahern said there were still cells of the Republican dissident group in operation and all efforts were being put into apprehending its members.

And he attacked comments made in the British press suggesting that Sinn Fein could exercise any control over the "small, violent, dangerous" splinter group.

"I would like to think we have seen the end of all kinds of terrorism but I believe from all the briefings I have had that there are still some units of the Real IRA," Mr Ahern told members.

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"They are not going to listen, despite all our efforts to stop them in their tracks. Hopefully they will be apprehended as soon as possible."

Mr Ahern was responding to a question from Fine Gael leader Mr Michael Noonan during the Order of Business in the Dáil.

Mr Noonan asked if the explosion was believed by security services to be a "one off event" or part of an "ongoing campaign of violence".

Mr Ahern accepted that there could be more attacks and added: "It will take the security forces in Great Britain and in the North here all of their resources. We will give the resources of the Garda to help them to do that."

And he said: "Some of the comments by the British media that Sinn Fein could control them are totally wrong. I want to put that on the record. I wish it was so simple."

Hundreds of people escaped death and injury when the 40 kilogramme car bomb failed to detonate fully near New Street railway station in the city centre on Saturday.

Anti terrorist officers said that the "substantial" device would have caused "very serious loss of life" if it had detonated fully.

PA