The 1998 Banbridge bombing was the explosion of a

car bomb A car bomb, bus bomb, lorry bomb, or truck bomb, also known as a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), is an improvised explosive device designed to be detonated in an automobile or other vehicles. Car bombs can be roughly divided ...

in the town of Banbridge in

County Down County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 531,665. It borders County Antrim to the ...

, Northern Ireland on 1 August 1998. Thirty-three civilians and two

Royal Ulster Constabulary The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) was the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001. It was founded on 1 June 1922 as a successor to the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC)Richard Doherty, ''The Thin Green Line – The History of the Royal ...

(RUC) officers were injured in the attack in a busy shopping street that was later claimed by the Real Irish Republican Army (RIRA), a dissident

Irish republican Irish republicanism ( ga, poblachtánachas Éireannach) is the political movement for the unity and independence of Ireland under a republic. Irish republicans view British rule in any part of Ireland as inherently illegitimate. The develop ...

group. The bomb containing of explosives was inside a red Vauxhall Cavalier parked on Newry Street. A 20-minute telephone warning was given allowing the police to clear the town centre and potentially avoiding many fatalities, although the warning was "inadequate" and still led to many injuries. The bomb severely damaged the heart of the town and shops in the area, causing an estimated £3.5 million of damage. After the bombing, local residents, paramedics, and emergency services worked tirelessly to help the injured and clear the debris. Witnesses recounted their experiences to reporters, and there were heart-rending stories of people looking for their loved ones in the aftermath of the explosion. At the time it was the most damaging bomb attack since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in April. Two weeks later, the Real IRA would carry out the infamous

Omagh bombing The Omagh bombing was a car bombing on 15 August 1998 in the town of Omagh in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It was carried out by the Real Irish Republican Army (Real IRA), a Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) splinter group who oppose ...

. Shortly afterwards, they had a ceasefire. The town was targeted previously that year by the Continuity IRA in an attempted car bomb on 6 January 1998, which was safely defused after a warning. Major bombings also occurred there in 1991 and 1982.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Banbridge 1998 crimes in the United Kingdom Explosions in 1998 Provisional Irish Republican Army actions 1998 in Northern Ireland Car and truck bombings in Northern Ireland Real Irish Republican Army actions August 1998 events in the United Kingdom Terrorist incidents in Northern Ireland Terrorist incidents in the United Kingdom in 1998 1990s murders in Northern Ireland 1998 crimes in Ireland Attacks by Republicans since the Good Friday Agreement

bombing A bomb is an explosive weapon that uses the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Detonations inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-transmitted mechanica ...

1990s crimes in Northern Ireland

See also

References