Politicians condemn NI barracks attack
Political leaders in Britain, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland have condemned the deadly attack upon a British army barracks blamed on dissident republicans.
Two British soldiers were killed and four people wounded after gunmen attacked an army base in County Antrim.
In the first such attack for more than a decade, a van reportedly pulled up outside the Massereene army base, 16 miles north of Belfast, and men armed with automatic machine guns opened fire.
A statement from the Ministry of Defence said the soldiers’ next of kin had been informed and that the exact circumstances of the attack were being investigated by the police service of Northern Ireland.
Late on Sunday a caller claiming to be from the Real IRA claimed responsibility for the attack, which has been condemned as “evil” by prime minister Gordon Brown and “barbaric” by Northern Ireland secretary Shaun Woodward.
A caller contacted the Dublin-based Sunday Tribune newspaper and used a recognised code word.
Peter Mandelson, who was Northern Ireland secretary for two years following the Good Friday Agreement, told BBC1’s Andrew Marr show the attack was “cowardly and futile”.
“The difference between now and the past is that all shades of political opinion in Northern Ireland are united in condemning what has been done.
“No one in Northern Ireland wants to go back to its violent past.”
SDLP leader Mark Durkan said the perpetrators of the attack were “steeped in the mindset and means of past violence”.
“Such terrorism achieves nothing but grief and injury for victims and shock and disgust across the community,” Mr Durkan added.
Irish taoiseach Brian Cowen said such violence had been comprehensively rejected, while Northern Ireland’s first minister Peter Robinson, leader of the DUP, said the shootings were a “terrible reminder of the events of the past”.
Of the four other personnel wounded, one is in a critical condition. Two of the injured men are Domino’s workers who were delivering pizza at the time of the attack.
Defence secretary John Hutton said: “I wish to express my sincere condolences to the families, friends and comrades of the two soldiers who were tragically murdered last night and those who were injured. My thoughts are with them all at this extremely difficult time.
“This senseless attack has only served to cause grief and dismay throughout Northern Ireland. No cause or grievance can justify such a cold blooded act.”
