American police officers show solidarity with victims of IRA Harrods bombing in London

The former Libyan dictator Col Gaddafi supplied the IRA with 120 tonnes of weaponry during the Troubles, including Semtex explosives.

As a result, 150 victims of subsequent IRA bombings are seeking £353m damages from oil-rich Libya, in line with that already paid to Libyan terror victims in France, Germany and the US.

Jonathan Ganesh, a victims campaigner and survivor of the 1996 IRA London Docklands Bombing, was speaking after the memorial ceremony for the IRA bombing of Harrods in London, which took place on 18 December 1983.

Three police officers and three members of the public were killed and 75 others injured.

Suzanne Dodd, whose police officer father Stephen was one of those murdered, wrote to the New Jersey Police Chiefs Association and invited them to attend the anniversary ceremony in London last week.

"They made that commitment because Susan's Dad was a Chief Inspector and maybe they sympathised on that basis," he said.

"American victims of the bombing also attended the ceremony. We were very touched.”He noted that American victims of terror attacks using Libyan supplied Semtex previously secured $5m from that country for each loss of US life, and several million each for serious injuries.

"That is how our whole campaign for compensation started," Mr Ganesh said.

"We said, 'Hold on a minute the American victims of this bombing have been paid compensation by Libya but why not the IRA victims from the UK or Northern Ireland?'"

He also lamented the fact that the Government commissioned a report into Libyan compensation for victims by William Shawcrow in 2019 but then classified it after he completed it.

A spokeswoman for the Foriegn Office said: “The UK Government has profound sympathy for UK victims of Qadhafi-sponsored IRA terrorism, and for all victims of The Troubles.

“Providing compensation specifically for the actions of the Qadhafi regime, separate from the support available to victims of the Troubles, is the responsibility of the Libyan State.

“We will continue to press the Libyan authorities to address the Libyan State’s historic responsibility for the Qadhafi regime’s support for the IRA.”