1993 Finchley Road bombings

Provisional IRA attack in London, England January 2021 January 2021 the Troubles 1993 Finchley Road bombings Finchley Road looking to O2 Centre from next to Domino's Pizza.jpg 260 190 Domino's Pizza Finchley Road 30 10 Domino's Pizza Finchley Road Golders Green Golders Green no no 1 51.5584 -0.1935 center 12 250 220 40 51.549676797818464 -0.1814754474662767 51.571864 -0.195442 n-square red white 16 1 Finchley Road, Hampstead, London, England Civilians 2 October 1993 00:26 UTC Time bombs 0 5 Provisional Irish Republican Army collapsed The Finchley Road bombings occurred on 2 October 1993, when the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) detonated three time bombs on Finchley Road in north London, England. Telephoned warnings were sent six minutes beforehand, at approximately 00:26 UTC, but five people were injured from falling glass as a result of the blasts, and damage was caused to some shops and flats in the surrounding area. The three bombs were planted outside a Domino's Pizza restaurant, a travel agent, and offices of the St. Pancras Building Society. Later, anti-terrorist officers discovered and subsequently safely detonated a fourth bomb in a controlled environment, 1 mile north of the initial bombings, in Golders Green. Two days later, on 4 October, the IRA detonated four more bombs in north London, two in Tottenham Lane and two more in Archway Road resulting in four injuries. The bombings were branded as "cowardly" by Home Secretary Michael Howard. They were the first IRA bombings in the capital for over five months. Following the bombings, the IRA phoned a Dublin radio station claiming responsibility for the attack. Background The IRA had carried out many bomb attacks on military and civilian targets in England since the beginning of its campaign in the 1970s. These attacks were carried out with a goal of putting pressure on the British government to withdraw from Northern Ireland.O'Day Alan Political Violence in Northern Ireland Conflict and Conflict Resolution Greenwood Publishing Group 1997 978-0-275-95414-7 20 In early 1993, the Northern Ireland peace process was at a delicate stage, with attempts to broker an IRA ceasefire ongoing.Coaffee Jon Terrorism, Risk and the City: The Making of a Contemporary Urban Landscape Ashgate Publishing 2003 978-0-7546-3555-0 94 Taylor Peter Peter Taylor (Journalist) Provos The IRA & Sinn Féin Bloomsbury Publishing 1997 305–306 978-0-7475-3818-9 In 1994, talks were continuing between the two largest Irish nationalists in Northern Ireland; John Hume of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), and Gerry Adams of Sinn Féin (SF). There was a high risk of IRA attacks in London in light of the refusal of political talks between the British prime minister, John Major and Sinn Féin, and all British police forces were told to remain prepared for further attacks. De Baróid Ciarán Ballymurphy and the Irish War Pluto Press 2000 325 978-0-7453-1509-6 In the week after the attack, the Conservative Party was due to host their annual conference.Bassett Tony 3 October 1993 IRA gang gave only six-minute bomb alert The People https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=UKNB&req_dat=10234CB623E20799&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F138F139468B27500 5 June 2021 6 August 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210806104817/https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=UKNB&docref=news%2F138F139468B27500&f=basic live Just over seven months earlier, on 27 February 1993, the IRA detonated a similar bomb in Camden Town, injuring 18 people.Terry Kirby Pithers Malcolm 28 February 1993 IRA bomb blast hurts 18 in high street crowded with shoppers 2 The Independent London https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=UKNB&req_dat=10234CB623E20799&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F131FABC346621820 1 June 2021 Eighteen people were injured, two seriously, when an IRA bomb exploded in a crowded north London high street at lunchtime yesterday. NewsBank 6 August 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210806104742/https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=UKNB&docref=news%2F131FABC346621820&f=basic live Prior to the Finchley Road bombings, there had not been any IRA attacks in London since the 1993 Bishopsgate bombing just over five months earlier.Kemp Jackie 3 October 1993 IRA admits bomb outrage 2 The Daily Mirror https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=UKNB&req_dat=10234CB623E20799&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F138E566CC94E62A0 5 June 2021 NewsBank 6 August 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210806104815/https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=UKNB&docref=news%2F138E566CC94E62A0&f=basic live Bombings At 00:20 UTC on 2 October 1993, a telephone warning was sent to a Domino's Pizza on Finchley Road, a major dual carriageway in north London.Holland Mary Mallie Eamonn 3 October 1993 Ulster counts cost of piece in raw nerves 10 The Observer London https://www.newspapers.com/clip/68144295/the-observer/ 21 January 2021 Newspapers.com 7 February 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210207214231/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/68144295/the-observer/ live Six minutes later, at 00:26, one bomb was detonated outside the Domino's Pizza restaurant.Vincent John 2 October 1993 Four injured as bomb blasts hit Finchley Road 1 The Times https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/IF0502005711/TTDA?u=camlib&sid=TTDA&xid=96484c13 21 January 2021 AT LEAST four people were injured when three bombs exploded early this morning in Finchley Road, near Swiss Cottage, northwest London. The Times Digital Archive 6 August 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210806104824/https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=TTDA&u=camlib&id=GALE%7CIF0502005711&v=2.1&it=r&sid=TTDA&asid=96484c13 live At 00:30, another bomb was detonated outside a travel agency and the final bomb was detonated outside the offices of the St. Pancras Building Society. The three blasts injured four men and one woman in their twenties, with all injuries caused by falling glass.McKittrick David 4 October 1993 IRA says talks could lead to peace The Independent https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=UKNB&req_dat=10234CB623E20799&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F131FABF8CF31C540 1 June 2021 NewsBank 6 August 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210806104825/https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=UKNB&docref=news%2F131FABF8CF31C540&f=basic live3 October 1993 Street bombing admitted by IRA The Times London https://www.proquest.com/docview/318027915 live subscription 21 January 2021 6 August 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210806104826/https://www.proquest.com/docview/318027915 318027915 Police sealed off Finchley Road from Swiss Cottage to West End Lane. A fourth bomb was then found and subsequently defused by anti-terrorism officers a mile north of Finchley Road in Golders Green.Mickolus Edward F. Simmons Susan L. Terrorism, 1992–1995: A Chronology of Events and a Selectively Annotated Bibliography https://books.google.com/books?id=UIBzCC0c2McC 21 January 2021 1997 ABC-CLIO 978-0-313-30468-2 486 25 March 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210325025553/https://books.google.com/books?id=UIBzCC0c2McC live All of the bombs had been placed in doorways. As a result of the blasts, dozens of shops were damaged. Following the bombing, the IRA phoned a Dublin radio station and claimed responsibility for the attacks. Investigation and aftermath thumb|An artist's impression of the blast suspect|100px Home Secretary Michael Howard branded the attacks as "cowardly and contemptible". Chief Superintendent of the Metropolitan Police Tony Buchanan called the attack "murderous", citing that there had been "no opportunity whatever to effect an evacuation". He also condemned the telephone warnings as "totally inadequate" claiming that there was "every possibility a large number of people could've been seriously injured".Mason David 2 October 1993 Six hurt in blasts; Four bombs explode outside London restaurant 2 Aberdeen Evening Express J Williamson Richard https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000445/19931002/573/0086 subscription He condemned the telephone warning, which spoke of four devices in Finchley Road, as totally inadequate ... Clearly there was every possibility a large number of people could've been seriously injured British Newspaper Archive 6 August 2021 The five people injured were sent to the Royal Free Hospital, and discharged the next day. The IRA said the bombings had been carried out by a number of active service units. On 2 October, police confirmed the locations of the bombings, and also noted that the effects of the bombings could have been much worse had it not been for a bus arriving early to collect passengers. On 4 October, police issued an artist's impression of a suspect for the blast, who was said to be wearing a duffel coat-type garment with distinctive yellow bands around it.4 October 1993 Police issue photo of blast suspect 5 The Press and Journal British Newspaper Archive See also 1993 Harrods bombing London Hilton bombing 1996 Hammersmith Bridge bombing References 51 33 55 N 0 11 47 W type:landmark_region:GB title Category:1993 in London Category:20th century in the London Borough of Camden Category:1993 building bombings Category:1993 road incidents Category:Attacks on restaurants in the United Kingdom Category:Building bombings in London Category:Domino's Category:1990s road incidents in Europe Category:October 1993 crimes Category:October 1993 in the United Kingdom Category:Provisional IRA bombings in London Category:Swiss Cottage Category:Terrorist incidents in London in the 1990s Category:Terrorist incidents in the United Kingdom in 1993 Category:Road incidents in London