Since the beginning of the year, a group called the „New IRA“ has been carrying out several attacks in Northern Ireland. Who are their members and what does the population think about it?
The so-called „New IRA“ is a splinter group that has emerged by detours from the former terrorist organization „Irish Republican Army“ (IRA). It is said to have been founded in the summer of 2012.
At 50 percent, the militant group consists of old IRA members. The other half come from the criminal milieu, experts say. According to the Northern Irish police, it is financed by drug trafficking and petty crime, among other things.
Several attacks committed since the beginning of the year
How many members of the militant group belong to it is speculated in the British media. Some talk about 200 members, others talk about dozens.
The violent riots before Easter with the death of journalist Lyra McKee are not the first incident: this year alone, there have already been several attacks. Earlier this year, a bomb detonated outside the courthouse in the Northern Irish town of Londonderry. In addition, letter bombs were discovered in London and Glasgow. In both cases, the „New IRA“ committed to doing so. According to the BBC, the militant group is associated with a total of four murders.
Hardly any support in the population
Twenty-one years after the conclusion of the Good Friday Agreement marking the end of the Northern Ireland conflict, the paramilitary faction continues to fight for reunification of the Republic of Ireland with the northern part of the island.
In the population, however, the „New IRA“ does not find broad support. The Northern Irish police reported after the recent violent clashes that they have rarely received so much evidence of terrorism.
