| La Mon Restaurant Bombing |
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| CATEGORIES ABOUT LA MON RESTAURANT BOMBING | |
| provisional ira actions | |
| terrorist incidents in the 1970s | |
| 1978 in northern ireland | |
| terrorism in northern ireland | |
| the troubles in belfast | |
| history of belfast | |
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At 9pm on the February 17 , 1978 a large Incendiary Bomb exploded against the window of the Peacock Room in the restaurant of the La Mon Hotel complex near Belfast . The device was of an experimental type, and despite a nine minute warning, twelve people were killed in the explosion, most of them being burned beyond recognition. A further thirty people were injured by the blast, many of them critically. Some are still receiving treatment 28 years later. The day after the explosion, the Provisional Irish Republican Army admitted that the blast was its responsibility, and apologised for the inadequate warning. Twenty suspected members, including Gerry Adams , were arrested on suspicion of having involvement in the explosion, but none have ever been convicted of causing the blast. The device was an experimental design, in which a small Blast Bomb was taped to the window of the restaurant, and attached to two large petrol canisters, each filled with a home made Napalm substance of petrol and sugar, designed to stick to whatever it hit, a combination which caused much more severe burn injuries on the victims. The reason for the attack on this target has never been explained, but the building was known to be used primarily by Protestant clientele, and indeed all the victims were Protestants, as well as being members of the Irish Collie Club and the Northern Ireland Junior Motor Cycle Club, which were staging meetings in the room. One of the victims of the blast was an off duty police officer, although he is not believed to have been a particular target. The then Secretary Of State For Northern Ireland , Roy Mason was highly criticised for his complacent attitude to the attack, claiming that the explosion was "carried out by remnants of IRA gangs", and that the IRA was on the decline. In 2002, there was a resurgence of interest in the case, when the British Parliament considered opening up a new inquiry to discover the culprits. These plans have so far come to nothing. EXTERNAL LINKS BBC Story on the incident |
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