IRA Jail Breakout Rattles Peace Process

Five members of the Irish Republican Amy tried to shoot their way out of a high-security jail, shaking the fragile Northern Ireland peace process, authorities said Saturday.

The British government and the IRA said the foiled escape did not constitute a breach of a 10-day-old cease-fire in Northern Ireland, but Protestant nationalists insisted that the incident spelled the end of the truce.

The prisoners, including a sixth inmate not affiliated with the IRA, used a smuggled pistol in the Friday night jailbreak attempt at Whitemoor Prison in Cambridgeshire, about 110 miles north of London. They shot at pursuing prison guards, wounding one, then scaled a 35-foot wall using knotted sheets.

Guards with attack dogs chased down four of the inmates; a police helicopter cornered the others within two hours.

Home Secretary Michael Howard ordered an inquiry into the attempted jailbreak, particularly as to how weapons were smuggled into the prison.

But Prime Minister John Major’s office struck a cautious note, declining to comment on the state of the cease-fire but hinting that the incident would not be a major obstacle to peace.

In Belfast, Sinn Fein, the IRA’s political arm, issued a statement saying the escape attempt “in no way” violated the truce that began Aug. 31, halting a bloody quarter-century campaign against British rule of Northern Ireland.

But Peter Robinson, vice president of the militant Democratic Unionist Party, said that “the attempt to kill prison officers and guards means the cease-fire has come to an end.”

“This incident shows that the IRA has not abandoned violence,” said Ken Maginnis of the moderate Ulster Unionist Party. “It is a stark reminder that, amidst the euphoria, the IRA remains an active, scheming and dangerous organization and its members are still prepared to use weapons and explosives to achieve their ends.”

The IRA inmates are: Paul Patrick Magee, 46, serving a life sentence for murder and attempted murder; Liam McCotter, 31, serving 17 years for conspiracy to cause explosions; Gilbert MacNamee, 33, sentenced to 25 years for conspiracy to cause explosions, linked to a 1982 blast that killed four military band members in a London park; Peter Sherry, 39, who was sentenced for life for his part in bombing a Brighton hotel where the Conservative Party was holding its annual conference in 1984, and Liam O’Dwyer, 32, serving 30 years for making bombs.

The sixth prisoner is Andrew Russell, 32, who was serving 10 years for various offenses including aiding and abetting a 1987 escape.

In the earlier escape, Russell hijacked a helicopter and forced it to land inside a prison area allowing two prisoners to jump aboard and flee. He was arrested two months later.

On Saturday, British government officials said they were unlikely to oppose Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams’ application for a U.S. visa because American authorities have expressed willingness to grant one.

Instead, they said they hope to persuade Washington to impose “sensible” conditions on the visit in order to prevent Adams doing anything that, in British eyes, would impede the peace process under way to end 25 years of sectarian violence in Northern Ireland.