Sinn Fein British agent shot dead

BBC News ^ | 4 April 2006

[bd476]

Denis Donaldson was expelled from
Sinn Fein in December

Mr Donaldson was expelled from the party last December after admitting he was a paid British spy for 20 years.

The IRA issued a statement saying it had "no involvement whatsoever" in Mr Donaldson's death in County Donegal.

Irish prime minister Bertie Ahern described the death as a "brutal murder", while NI Secretary Peter Hain said it was "barbaric".

Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams said he wanted to "disassociate (his party) and all republicans who support the peace process from this killing".

The death of Mr Donaldson came hours before a planned visit to Northern Ireland by Prime Minister Tony Blair and Mr Ahern to unveil their blueprint for reviving the assembly at Stormont.

A Downing Street spokesman said that Mr Blair "strongly condemned" the killing and had noted Mr Adams' statement of condemnation.

---

TIMETABLE OF EVENTS

4 October 2002: Three men including Mr Donaldson arrested following raid on Sinn Fein's Stormont office. Power-sharing executive collapses and government restores direct rule to NI a week later

8 December 2005: Charges against three men dropped "in the public interest"

16 December 2005: Sinn Fein says Mr Donaldson was a "British agent" and expels him from the party: he later says he worked as a spy since the 1980s Government and police reject the party's claim raid was politically motivated

4 April 2006: Donaldson found shot dead in County Donegal

---

Irish justice minister Michael McDowell said he understood a neighbour had found Mr Donaldson's body on the floor of his house with a gunshot wound to the head.

He said that he had been lying there for some time and was last seen alive on Monday evening by Irish police.

Mr Donaldson moved out of his Belfast home last December, and had been living in a run-down cottage without electricity or running water in County Donegal.

His body was found near the village of Glenties at about 1700 BST.

Mr Donaldson had been Sinn Fein's head of administration at Stormont before his 2002 arrest over alleged spying led to its collapse.

Mr Donaldson and two others were acquitted of charges last December "in the public interest".

One week later, Sinn Fein expelled Mr Donaldson from the party.

At the time, he told a news conference that he was recruited in the 1980s as a paid British agent and deeply regretted his activities.

He said there had not been a republican spy ring at Stormont.

Gerry Adams told the same news conference that Mr Donaldson was not under any threat from the republican movement.

Mr Adams said on Tuesday he had spoken to the Donaldson family just before news of his death broke.

He said he was not prepared to speculate on who might have been responsible.

"It has to be condemned. We are living in a different era, and in the future in which everyone could share," he said.

"This killing seems to have been carried out by those who have not accepted that," he said.

DUP leader Ian Paisley said Mr Donaldson's death would be a setback for the political process.

"If this man has been murdered because of his connection with the IRA/Sinn Fein, and because of the past happenings, then it strikes a blow at what the two governments are trying to do," he said.

[Lost Humanist]

Err ok...a little bit uncouth, but ok. I dont agree of course, as the only thing terrorism does is kill, and that surely is a bad thing.
So what would the US do if the UK had Bin Laden over for breakfast? Just sit back and say 'look guys, terrorism pays'?????????
I dont know where you're coming from on this one mate, are you just trying to put across another point of view to stimulate discourse? Or are you condoning what the IRA have done?

[WorkingClassFilth]

Too bad they don't publish here in the states. Our weepy MSM invariably portrays the IRA as a nationalist struggle and Sinn Fein as just a well meaning political party. Mr. Adams routinely had his tonsils licked by the Clintons on his numerous propaganda and blood money circuits during the 90's. I'm sure he lifted a glass or two with the fat pig Kennedy, too. The problem here, today, is that too many people think of the IRA of the past (with plenty of maudlin sentiments) and NOT the real nature of the IRA today - aa another Marxist terror movement.

[H. Paul Pressler IV]

A few weeks ago Gerry Adams met with President Bush at the White House.


The IRA and Sinn Fein had made progress via the appeasement granted by the US and UK

[Lost Humanist]

What can we do then? The Troubles are decades old, and now we try to lock the IRA and Sinn Fein into political discourse to stop the conflict. Its slowly working. No more British troopers are getting dead in Northern Ireland, and the religious strife has lessened a great deal.
My question remains. Its a British problem, so why does the US have a right to get involved?

[WorkingClassFilth]

Mr. Adams practically lived at the White House during the krinton years. Until these murderers are dead, no peace accord has any meaning. Marxists do not consider a scrap of paper anything other than a scrap of paper. Only weary idealists believe in such things.

BTW, you're aware that the IRA purchased millions in high-tech Soviet hardware back in the late 90's, right? Yeah, just after the check cleared some ex-General's Swiss bank, they tipped off American or British intelligence (can't remember which). This was about the time the IRA was being pressured to surrender its 'arms' according to the last promising peace deal brokered by the chief criminal krinton. So, the IRA coughed up a few Brens, a rusty Maxim and a couple of Thompsons. So, you see, peace negotiations bring peace in our time...

[bd476]

Yes, that's right it was Lord Louis Mountbatten who was assassinated in 1979 after the IRA planted a bomb on his boat and it exploded.

Thanks for the reminder (gee... how embarrassing, lol.)

[WorkingClassFilth]

I thought they shot him on his front steps as he came out for the morning paper? Oh well, hard to keep your basic terror hits straight.

[H. Paul Pressler IV]

At this point both Blair and Bush, while fighting terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan are rewarding the IRA/Sinn Fein for no longer murdering British troop, police and citizens.

Therefore, the lesson in being taught that a Rebel Group should commit acts of terror and then renounce those acts and they will be rewarded with a place at the negotiating table.

[bd476]

On August 27, 1979 IRA terrorists detonated the bomb they planted on Lord Mountbatten's boat.

The terrorists murdered Lord Mountbatten, his 14 year old grandson Nicholas and Paul Maxwell, a 15 year old local boy who had been hired as a boat boy. Yet another passenger on Mountbatten's boat, Lady Brabourne, 82 also died the next day.

"The attack was followed only hours later by the massacre of 18 soldiers, killed in two booby-trap bomb explosions near Warrenpoint close to the border with the Irish Republic."
BBC 1979: IRA bomb kills Lord Mountbatten

IRA terrorists are no different than any other terrorist.

[rennatdm]

he played a dangerous game....made lots of enemies....on both sides..... no surprises here

[FatherofFive]

The IRA have more people on this island than anyone else (1800), their Loyalist counterparts come second (1200) - and the British security forces have only killed a couple dozen!!

You’re kidding, right? Beginning in 1845 and lasting for six years, the potato famine alone – brought about by British occupation and confiscation of lands from native Irish -- killed over a million men, women and children in Ireland and caused another million to flee the country.

I am no supporter of the modern IRA. But the British have killed far more Irish with their occupation of Ireland than the Marxist thugs of the IRA have ever dreamed of doing.

[newfarm4000n]

However, the bottom line is that the IRA has made progress and now even President Bush has met with Gerry Adams at the White House.

So what ??? Thats hardly an endorsement. The IRA is basically just Al queada (spelling?) lite. They are an insult to the Irish I would have thought.

[wardaddy]

There is a site out there which used to keep a tally on who did the most killing and dying
The Republicans were pretty far out front, and the Red Poppies were next and Brits last

I'll see if I can find it.

[wardaddy]

Great Site...for info...pretty sad upon reflection

http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/sutton/tables/Organisation_Responsible.html

Organisation Responsible for the death: Organisation_Responsible Count
British Army (BA) 297
British Police (BP) 1
Catholic Reaction Force (CRF) 3
Direct Action Against Drugs (DAAD) 5
Garda Siochana (GS) 4
Irish Army (IA) 1
Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) 113
Irish People's Liberation Organisation (IPLO) 22
Irish People's Liberation Organisation Belfast Brigade (IPLOBB) 2
Irish Republican Army (IRA) 1706
Loyalist Retaliation and Defence Group (LRDG) 2
Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF) 18
non-specific Loyalist group (LOY) 252
non-specific Republican group (REP) 89
not known (nk) 80
Official Irish Republican Army (OIRA) 52
People's Liberation Army (PLA) 3
People's Republican Army (PRA) 4
Protestant Action Force (PAF) 37
Protestant Action Group (PAG) 5
real Irish Republican Army (rIRA) 29
Red Hand Commando (RHC) 13
Red Hand Defenders (RHD) 8
Republican Action Force (RepAF) 24
Royal Air Force (RAF) 1
Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) 55
Saor Eire (SE) 3
Ulster Defence Association (UDA) 112
Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) 8
Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF) 147
Ulster Special Constabulary (USC) 1
Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) 426
TOTAL 3523

[Brit_Guy]

"Beginning in 1845 and lasting for six years, the potato famine alone"

Oh purlease. No one disputes that the Potato famine was a monstrosy of history. But the salient point is it was in 1845!!!!!

How would you feel if Native Americans were still planting bombs in shopping malls in the late 20th Century in protest at them being victims of ethnic cleansing in 1845? Would they have a case? Would you sympathise?

How about if someone justified the twin towers attack as Muslim revenge for the Cruscades because they were kind of rough on Muslims?

Ridiculous right?

Think.

[tonycavanagh]

re :lets count how many people in Ireland,the british have killed?.

Yes and while we are playing that game lets count how many Iraqis and Afghanistan civilians have died, during the current war on terror.

[tonycavanagh]

re :lets count how many people in Ireland,the british have killed?.
Yes and while we are playing that game lets count how many Iraqis and Afghanistan civilians have died, during the current war on terror.

[Lost Humanist]

Wow, thats some comment. I dont think you really like the British mate, its just a hunch.
Your comment seems to be making the leap to comparing the British (the whole nation it seems, all 60 million) with the terrorist scum of the IRA. Sorry sunshine, but the comparison doesn't hold up.
If we want to go back further then the Celts (Irish, Welsh etc) should go and bomb the crap out of the Rome for what their Empire did to the native Brits back in BC. Its absolute idiocy man, to say that the murdering of a British spy in Northern Ireland is ok, cos of a famine in Ireland 160 years ago. You cannot be making such a disrespectful claim as that can you?????
I cannot believe that their are US 'allies' out there you are happy to write this, and worse, not step up and shout it down when its said. Its an insult to all those who have died in the Troubles, on both sides of the wire, to justify murder in the name of righteousness.

[tonycavanagh]

I served in North Ireland during the 80s, Served in Iraq year before last.

Fighting terrorists is a very dirty type of war.

You have no idea who the enemy is sometimes or where he will strike next.

He will play below the rules while his supporters will scream bloody murder every chance they get.

His terrain is ordinary streets, ordinary houses and he will do his best to ensure that when you strike back civilians will get in the way. Sniping from houses that contain civilians so that when we fire back civilians may get hit

If you are going to go over past British military operations in North Ireland will you hold the American Army fighting a similar sort of war to the same standard and accountability or is it that one is Irish and the other just a lot of damm Muslims.

[tonycavanagh]

re :You’re kidding, right? Beginning in 1845 and lasting for six years, the potato famine alone – brought about by British occupation and confiscation of lands from native Irish -- killed over a million men, women and children in Ireland and caused another million to flee the country.

If you are going to revert to history we could talk about Americas treatment of the Indians, and that you were a slave holding nation right up to the 1800s.