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.
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?
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