Letter to Docklands victim's family justifying attack sparks anger

There has been widespread anger in response to revelations that one of those thought to be behind the IRA's 1996 London Docklands atrocity wrote to the brother of a man killed in the attack '“ without offering an apology.
By The Newsroom
Published 10th Feb 2016, 08:31 BST
Updated 17th Feb 2016, 06:38 BST
Docklands bomb victim Jonathan Ganesh releases a dove in London at a service to mark the 20th anniversary of the attackDocklands bomb victim Jonathan Ganesh releases a dove in London at a service to mark the 20th anniversary of the attack
Docklands bomb victim Jonathan Ganesh releases a dove in London at a service to mark the 20th anniversary of the attack

Yesterday marked the 20th anniversary of the attack, which killed newspaper vendors Inam Bashir and John Jeffries, injured dozens of others and caused some £100m of damage.

Mr Bashir’s brother Ihsan revealed in the News Letter yesterday that he received a letter soon after the bomb which he believed came from one of the IRA team responsible.

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The letter read: “I did not realise your brother was still in the shop. But you understand how we feel. You suffered under British rule in India for 200 years.”

Mr Bashir said he would describe the letter’s author as “evil” and added that his father had been disgusted by it.

Terror victims campaigner Ann Travers said yesterday that her “heart goes out to the families and survivors of the Docklands bomb” on the anniversary.

She added: “The men and women who made that bomb possible 20 years ago were evil – for one of them to write a letter to ease their own conscience and yet still justify mass murder and wounding is equally evil.”

TUV leader Jim Allister took a similar view.

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“The callous action of the terrorist writing such a letter reveals the IRA never had the least compunction about who they murdered or where,” he said.

“As Mr Bashir says, those responsible were simply evil and the lack of remorse from [James] McArdle, who was convicted for his part in the bombing, graphically illustrated that.”

McArdle was convicted of conspiracy to cause explosions and sentenced to 25 years but was released under the Good Friday Agreement in June 2000.

Innocent Victims United spokesman Kenny Donaldson added simply: “Our thoughts and prayers today are with the Jeffries and Bashirs and all others who were physically and mentally scarred on that fateful day.”

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East Belfast MP Gavin Robinson attended the memorial service at the bomb site yesterday.

“The contrast between those releasing 20 white doves today as a symbol of peace and those who committed this act of terrorism could not be more stark,” he said.

A BBC documentary this week detailed the painstaking work which saw Crossmaglen bricklayer McArdle convicted for his part in the bombing.

Metropolitan Police used fingerprint evidence to track him down after arresting the south Armagh sniper team he was part of.

Related topics:IRAJim Allister