Posted on 01/31/2008 11:29:27 AM PST by SwinneySwitch
SARITA — U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested a man Monday at the Sarita checkpoint who fled a Northern Irish prison in an infamous escape 24 years ago, the agency said.
The man, whose name Border Patrol refused to release late Wednesday night, is expected to soon be transferred to British custody. Reportedly a member of the Irish Republican Army, the man is accused of making a violent escape from the Maze prison in Northern Ireland in September 1983 along with 38 other IRA members.
He was arrested at the Sarita checkpoint outside of Brownsville on Monday after he was unable to provide valid immigration documents. Agents did a background check through an international fingerprint system, which identified the man as having escaped from the prison.
The Maze, the maximum-security prison from which he reportedly escaped, was home to some of the most notorious killers and bombers of the more than three-decades-long armed struggle against Britain to unite Northern Ireland with the Irish Republic.
On Sept. 25, 1983, one prison guard was killed and another injured when 38 IRA inmates used smuggled guns and knives to overpower prison security personnel, according to news reports of the incident.
Numerous terrorist attacks, and occasionally street warfare, killed more than 3,500 people during the more than 30 years of fighting between pro-Irish independence groups, such as the IRA, and British nationalist sympathizers. But since 1998, significant steps have been taken toward peace and the violence has all but ceased.
Britain retains control of Northern Ireland in an elaborate power-sharing scheme with Irish separatist groups.
Some former members of the groups have moved into national politics, including Gerry Adams, a former inmate at Maze who is now the president of the Sinn Fein party — the former political wing of the IRA. Adams was imprisoned at Maze in the early 1970s for his activities with the IRA. He is now a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly. ____
Sean Gaffney covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4434.
They spotted his Lucky Charms!
Millions of illegal mexicans running the border, and they catch one Irish fugitive.....
ping
Why bother with the checkpoints, just cross the river like all of the other ILLEGALS!
That's because their boss, President Bush, has probably instructed them not to try too hard with the Mexican illegals. He's buddies with Vincente, ya see.
(just typing....).
He was more than an “Irish fugitive”. He was felon and a terrorist. I’m glad he’s getting deported. Let’s hope the Brits tack on an extra 20 years to his sentence for escaping.
The largest number of illegals from a single country were, until the Clinton amnesty, the Irish. Most of them were concentrated in the big urban areas, particularly New York and San Francisco.
Poles are probably the largest group of illegals in these areas now.
Amazing what enforcement can do. Capture and deport; what an idea.
They gave him the standard illegal immigrant notice to appear and released him.
Oh, look. The Border Patrol caught and identified an *actual* terrorist.
Bet y’all the MSM never mentions this on tonight’s news.
These days this country reminds me of a scene in the movie "Blazing Saddles":
"We'll take the Blacks, Chinese and Mexicans....but we don't want the Irish!"
I guess it makes sitting in the long line worth it.
In that case, I feel much safer now. Sheesh, I need a drink.
We must have some really good technology to pick up on this guy. Wow.
Ireland ping!
The checkpoints are about 50 miles from the Rio Grande, unifox.
I doubt it. There are far worse scum than him who have been released following a pathetically short term of imprisonment as per the amnesty in the good friday agreement...
"They're always after me Lucky Charms."
Chinese, Macedonians, Iranians, now the Irish, it’s an international speedway, JP!
First Irish fugitiveI’ve heard about, Pikachu.
Ping!
If you want on, or off this S. Texas/Mexico ping list, please FReepMail me.
“...along with 38 other IRA members.”
And been living in Mexico all this time? No blarney?
Is he an O’Bama supporter?
LOL! Since he probably won’t be deported in our lifetimes, I think we can expecting him to vote Democrat in November (and maybe in 2010, 2012, etc.)
The IRA has long worked with Islamic and other terrorist groups,Probably here just training MS13, yah know,McCains short list for citizenship. MS13 ,Just killing folks Americans won’t.
How many guys did he knee cap with an iron bar and shatter the elbows and wrists of? That was a favorite IRA punishment. To leave the crippled live as a warning.
Vicious scum fighting for nothing except drunken delusions running ‘round in their mind
Well, his red hair and green eyes did kind of stand out in that crowd.
I don't think that's exactly how it was phrased, but it's a lot less likely to get you in hot water...
Only about as much as a Que ball in a cup of caviar. :-)
Here's a factoid for you.
The number of Mexican nationals illegally residing in the United States exceeds the entire population of Ireland.
Population of Ireland: 4,109,086 (July 2007 est.)
Mexican illegal-aliens: 4,800,000 (February 2003 INS est.)
They found Notre Dame’s offense?!!
Ian? Ian Howe?
Sounds like racial profiling to me.
There’s an updated story that identifies him as Pol Brennan.
Just a little over four million Irish? We could poop a bigger country than that.
Illegals aren’t just Hispanic, like you said. I have personally run across Russian and Chinese illegals.The little town I am from deported a guy back to New Zealand. He didn’t come in illegally, but he was called to jury duty and to get out of it he told them he wasn’t a citizen. Ohio gets its jury pool from registered voters.
LOL. I was thinking Sean Miller...
He was helping his wife move to Texas so she could care for her elderly mother. They drove to South Texas from the Bay Area, where they originally met and had resided since the mid 1980’s. He was making a return to CA where he was planning to continue to reside when he was stopped at a check point. They had passed through without problems in the past. He was arrested in the Bay Area in January 1993, almost 10 years after his escape from the Belfast prison. His identity had been discovered by the FBI. He then spent close to a decade in California prisons fighting extradition to N. Ireland until he was released on bail and eventually the British ended their pursuit of his custody as part of the Good Friday Agreement. While all of his documents might not have been current, he has lived a politically peaceful life in the Bay Area. He poses no threat to the country. The only people who fear him (then and now) and other drunk domestic violence perpetrators, are those that had to reside under the same roof as him. Arrested for a crime? Yes. For the correct reason? No. Justice for his victims? Once again, no.
He may have fought for a good cause in Northern Ireland (you decide on your own) but honestly, on a personal level, the man is not kind. He should have been arrested for other reasons unrelated to terrorism, illegal documents, or immigrant status. Just because someone fights a good or worthy cause doesn’t mean they are a good person. They can be just as much of an abusive ass as anyone. Take it from me.
Confusing, no?
Also don't forget: get the "IRA Information and Escape Manual," available free (or was) at the American Embassy in Dublin, ask for Ms. Kennedy.
Also don't forget: get the "IRA Information and Escape Manual," available free (or was) at the American Embassy in Dublin, ask for Ms. Kennedy.
This sounds like a typical case of local law enforcement malfeasance. Once reported, he should have been re-arrested on a domestic violence charge like any other low-level criminal, and re-imprisoned for a bail violation. You intimate that he was not reported because his neighbors feared him. Is that not enough "threat" for you?
You explain why this exiled "patriot" was in the Texas, not why he was in Mexico.
It is neither for me nor you to judge whether or not an illegally arrived alien is "a threat to this country." The IRA in its various factions and guises, has links to all the major terrorist organizations of the world, including al-qaida, hamas, Libya, FARC, etc. etc.
It also seems that he was out on bail and that the question of his status remains unresolved. That makes it doubly illegal for him to have left the country ... and stupid ... unless he were on another mission, which is entirely possible.
Obviously I do not know the facts of this man's case, but I long ago disabused myself of all romantic Fenian notions. Long-supported by Americans, the IRA is no friend of America, or anyoone else. To judge by its actions, rather than its words, it would seem to be a Marxist, terrorist organization
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