IRA Priest's Swiss Links Facilitated Deadly 1984 Brighton Bombing
A Catholic priest, Patrick Ryan, played a pivotal role in the Irish Republican Army's (IRA) operations, using Swiss bank accounts and Swiss Memo timers to facilitate attacks. One such incident, the 1984 bombing of the Grand Hotel, had devastating consequences.
In 1976, Ryan, a special IRA member, established connections in Switzerland. Urs Greber, a Swiss national, provided funds and imported Swiss Memo timers, which were later converted into explosives. Ryan used these timers extensively, importing 950 of them to Ireland that year.
The IRA targeted British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, planting a bomb at the Grand Hotel in Brighton on October 12, 1984. The attack, which occurred during the Conservative Party conference, killed five people and injured many others. Thatcher survived the blast, but the incident sparked worldwide outrage, including from the Swiss Federal Council.
The IRA claimed responsibility for the attack and warned of future strikes. Investigations later revealed that funds and bomb components used in the attack originated in Switzerland, unbeknownst to the Swiss Federal Council at the time. Ryan's actions indirectly involved Switzerland in the Northern Ireland conflict through the supply of war materials and the use of Swiss bank accounts.
Patrick Ryan's Swiss connections played a significant role in the IRA's bombing campaign. The 1984 Grand Hotel bombing, facilitated by Swiss Memo timers and funds, highlighted the international dimensions of the conflict and its impact on innocent lives.
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