1988 IRA attacks in the Netherlands facts for kids
Quick facts for kids 1988 IRA attacks in Netherlands |
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|---|---|
| Part of the Troubles | |
| Location | Roermond and Nieuw-Bergen, Limburg, Netherlands |
| Coordinates | 51°12′0″N 5°59′0″E / 51.20000°N 5.98333°E |
| Date | 1 May 1988 |
| Target | RAF personnel |
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Attack type
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Shooting, bombing |
| Deaths | 3 |
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Non-fatal injuries
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3 |
| Perpetrator | Provisional IRA |
On May 1, 1988, a group called the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) attacked British military people in the Netherlands. They carried out two separate attacks on the same day. Three members of the Royal Air Force (RAF) were killed, and three others were hurt. This was the worst attack on British forces in mainland Europe during a time known as The Troubles. The Troubles was a conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted from the late 1960s to 1998.
Contents
Why the Attacks Happened
The year 1988 was a very violent time during the Troubles. The IRA became more active, and other groups also started more attacks. The British Army responded strongly to these actions.
In March 1988, British soldiers shot and killed three IRA members in Gibraltar. Later that month, at the funerals for these IRA members, a loyalist (a person who supports Northern Ireland staying part of the United Kingdom) attacked the crowd. This attack killed an IRA member and two other people. It also injured many more.
At the funeral for the IRA member killed in that attack, two British Army soldiers were killed by the IRA. These events show how tense and dangerous the situation was in 1988.
Earlier Attacks in Europe
The IRA and other groups had attacked British military members and diplomats in Europe before. These attacks started in the mid-1970s.
- January 1973: A car bomb exploded in Germany. It was meant to go off when British military people were leaving a cinema car park. Luckily, no one was hurt.
- March 22, 1979: Richard Sykes, who was the British Ambassador to the Netherlands, was killed in The Hague. His Dutch helper was also killed.
- August 28, 1979: Four British soldiers were hurt in Brussels, Belgium. The IRA set off a bomb under a bandstand where British Army musicians were getting ready to play.
- February 16, 1980: A British soldier was shot and killed by the IRA outside his home in West Germany.
- November 24, 1981: Another group, the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA), said they set off a bomb outside the British Consulate in Hamburg, West Germany.
- November 25, 1981: The INLA also said they set off a bomb at a British Army base in West Germany. One British soldier was hurt.
- March 23, 1987: A car bomb exploded at a military complex in Germany. Thirty-one people were injured in this attack.
The 1988 Attacks
The attacks on May 1, 1988, happened in two different places in the Netherlands.
Attack in Roermond
The first attack happened in the city of Roermond. This city was a popular place for British military people to visit. Around 1:00 AM, two RAF members were sitting in a parked car. IRA members shot into their car with an automatic rifle. One airman, Ian Shinner (20 years old), was killed. His friend was badly hurt. Police said at least 23 bullets hit the car.
Attack in Nieuw-Bergen
About 30 miles north of Roermond, another attack happened half an hour later in Nieuw-Bergen. A bomb was placed under the car of four other RAF airmen. The bomb exploded while they were parked outside a club. Two more RAF airmen, John Miller Reid and John Baxter, were killed. Two others were injured. Police said the bodies were so badly damaged that they could not be identified right away. These airmen were based at RAF Laarbruch in West Germany.
The IRA was able to find the British military personnel because their cars had special British military license plates.
After the attacks, the IRA released a statement. They told the British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, that if Britain did not leave Ireland, there would be no safe place for British military people. Both the British and Irish governments said they strongly disagreed with the attacks.
Many Irish Republicans saw these attacks as revenge for the killing of the three IRA members in Gibraltar two months earlier. In 1990, two tourists from Australia were also killed in Roermond. The IRA shot them because they thought the tourists were British military personnel by mistake.
See also
- 1987 Rheindahlen bombing (Germany)
- Operation Flavius (Gibraltar)
- Killings of Nick Spanos and Stephen Melrose (Netherlands)
- Osnabrück mortar attack (Germany)
