N. IRELAND: CAR BOMB EXPLODES IN TOWN OF NEWTOWNHAMILTON скачать в хорошем качестве

N. IRELAND: CAR BOMB EXPLODES IN TOWN OF NEWTOWNHAMILTON

(24 Jun 1998) English/Nat A car bomb has exploded in the predominantly Catholic border town of Newtownhamilton, injuring two people. The blast, southwest of Belfast, came as Protestant and Catholic candidates entered the last hours of campaigning on the eve of elections for a new compromise Northern Ireland government. Police received several telephoned warnings, including one reportedly from the outlawed Irish National Liberation Army - a Republican splinter group that opposes the July 1997 truce with Protestants. Protestant Ulster Unionist Party members condemned the bombing, saying it only makes Thursday's vote more powerful as a declaration against such violence. The bomb went off in Newtownhamilton, a village southwest of Belfast in the South Armagh borderland. On Wednesday, it looked more like a war zone with debris from the blast strewn all over the town square. Cars caught in the bomb's path were burnt-out shells, while roofs of local shops were torn up from the blast's force. Metal schrapnel lay everywhere, and the sides of buildings consisted of blown out windows and twisted aluminum siding. The blast occurred outside the main barracks which housed British soldiers and police and also caused substantial damage to homes nearby. Four people suffered injuries, although none were life threatening. The community centre where Thursday's polling was supposed to take place was damaged, causing officials to schedule balloting in another location. Police said the bomb exploded as they were evacuating the area and as an army bomb-disposal unit was arriving. Authorities had received several telephoned warnings, including one claiming to come from the outlawed Irish National Liberation Army. The I-N-L-A is an anti-British rival of the larger Irish Republican Army (I-R-A) adamantly opposed to the I-R-A's July 1997 truce with Protestants. No confirmation of who is responsible has yet been made. The blast followed another unclaimed bomb attack the day before on a road outside the South Armagh village of Forkhill which injured no one. The explosions came as Northern Ireland prepares to selects its new cross-community government on Thursday. Seamus Mallon, Deputy leader of the Social Democratic Labour Party (S-D-L-P) and the local Minister of Parliament, said the timing of the bombing on the eve of elections was no coincidence. SOUNDBITE: (English) "I'm absolutely horrified that a bomb was placed in the middle of the village of Newtownhamilton once again, that people's lives were put in danger, their business and homes wrecked. But I think there's an added significance - it was placed on the day before the most important election that we'll ever have in the north of Ireland and it was done to intimidate people in relation to the election tomorrow." SUPER CAPTION: Seamus Mallon, Deputy leader of the SDLP and Minister of Parliament for Newry and Armagh The town police station found itself overlooking a sea of twisted metal and destroyed storefronts. One car's destroyed windshield was proof that it did not escape, nor did the 13-year-old boy who was riding inside at the time of the blast. He was one of the four injured and remains hospitalised in a serious but stable condition with chest injuries. As police armed with rifles patrolled the streets, the accusations of who was to blame were flying. Danny Kennedy, Ulster Unionist party councillor for Newtownhamilton, expressed his strong belief that an arm of the I-R-A was responsible. SOUNDBITE: (English) Helicopters flew overhead to monitor the situation. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...