Operation Flavius
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Operation Flavius was the name given to an operation by a Special Air Service team in Gibraltar on 6 March 1988 tasked with neutralising a Provisional IRA cell. The cell's members, Danny McCann, Seán Savage and Mairéad Farrell, conspired to detonate a bomb where the band assembled for the weekly changing of the guard at the governor’s residence.
Contents |
[edit] Bomb Plot
Their plan was to hide the bomb in a car so as to kill the British Army military band that were assembling for the parade. In order to ensure a parking space in a busy town area, it was necessary to reserve it on the preceding Sunday.
The SAS team was incorrectly informed that the IRA had already placed their bomb and were ready to detonate it. The three were stopped as they walked along the busy main road leading to the Airport and the Spanish frontier. McCann was then shot as the SAS claimed he made an 'aggressive move' towards a bag he was carrying. They stated he was intending to trigger a car bomb using a remote control device. After McCann was killed, it was claimed that Farrell made a move towards her handbag and was shot on similar grounds. SAS members again claimed that Savage moved his hand to his pocket and the SAS killed him also.
McCann was shot five times, Farrell eight times, and Savage between 16 and 18 times. All three were subsequently found to be unarmed, and without any kind of remote trigger. Materials for a bomb, including 64 kg of Semtex, were later found in a car in Spain, identified by keys found in Farrell's handbag.[1]
[edit] Death on the Rock
- Main article: Death on the Rock
The following month ITV broadcast a Thames Television documentary "Death on the Rock" reflecting concerns about the shootings, which led to criticism of the British government.[2] British tabloids attacked the character and credibility of some of the witnesses in an attempt to discredit their statements, which eventually led to a successful libel actions by Mrs. Carmen Proetta against several newspapers, including The Sun and The Sunday Times.[3][4]
The New York Times (13 June 1989) stated: "Events leading up to the Gibraltar killings are depicted in a reconstruction made for a British television documentary. Questions abound. Was the I.R.A. trio, carefully followed for days, in fact lured into Gibraltar? Why did the police fail to photograph the bodies or gather forensic evidence? Why was the press - Britain's tabloids were jubilant - told lies about a huge car bomb being defused and about the three suspects having died in a gunfight? This documentary's understated observation: 'There was a strong air of Government cover-up and disinformation.'"[5]
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher denounced the documentary as "trial by television".
[edit] The Inquest
An inquest was held in Gibraltar. An Irish radio expert disputed whether a remote controlled explosive device was technically feasible, casting doubt on the justification given[6] (this was reviewed by the European Court of Human Rights[7] - see below).
Captain Edwards, a member of the Royal Corps of Signals with experience in VHF/HF radio in combat net radio spectrum carried out tests which showed it was possible to receive both voice communication and a single audio tone at the site of the shootings from the assembly area.[8]
The car bomb found in Marbella was a conventional timer controlled device. An article after the inquest in the magazine Wireless World proved mathematically that it was theoretically possible for it to be radio controlled.
The jury at the inquest returned a verdict of lawful killing by a 9-2 majority.
[edit] European Court of Human Rights
In 1995 the European Court of Human Rights ruled by a majority verdict 10 votes to nine that the killing of the three did not constitute a use of force which was "absolutely necessary" as prescribed by Article 2-2 of the European Convention on Human Rights.[9]
It also ruled that the three had been engaged in an act of terrorism, and consequently dismissed unanimously the applicants’ claims for damages, for costs and expenses incurred in the Gibraltar Inquest and the remainder of the claims for just satisfaction.
[edit] References
- ^ [1] Evidence from the inquest reviewed by the ECHR
- ^ [2] The Museum of Broadcast Communications page on Death on the Rock
- ^ [3]: Half of total of £3000,00 in damages to Carmen Proetta paid by the Sunday Times
- ^ [4]: Notes substantial damages in relation to erroneous claims in The Sun
- ^ [5] New Yorks Times review of Frontline documentary on Farell, which used extracts from Death on the Rock
- ^ [6], paragraph 112.
- ^ [7], paragrah 114
- ^ [8], paragraph 116.
- ^ [9], McCann and Others v. the United Kingdom
[edit] See also
- Death on the Rock - A documentary about the shootings.
- Siobhán O'Hanlon - Subject of press allegations of the Gibraltar attack
- Gibraltar (song) - Song about the events of Operation Flavius
[edit] Bibliography & further reading
- Fatal Encounter - The story of the Gibraltar killings by Nicholas Eckert ISBN 1 85371 837 8
- Death on the Rock - documentary about the shootings.
- Murder on the Rock - book about the shootings.
- Relatives for Justice Site
- Summary and full judgement by the ECHR
- The New York Times (June 13, 1989) article
- A Child of Its Time, The Economist (London), 4 February 1989.
- Windlesham, P., and R. Rampton. The Windlesham/Rampton Report on 'Death on the Rock' {London} Faber, 1989.
