Crumlin Road Prison bombing
On 24 November 1991 the Provisional IRA (IRA) detonated an improvised explosive device in the Ulster loyalist wing of HM Prison Crumlin Road killing two loyalist prisoners, one from the Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF) and one from the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF).[1] This came at the height of a debate on the issues of desegregation between loyalist and Irish republican prisoners.
| Crumlin Road Prison bombing | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Troubles | |
 Crumlin Road Gaol interior | |
  | |
| Location | HM Prison Crumlin Road, Crumlin Road, Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Coordinates | 54°35′07.8″N 5°55′22.7″W |
| Date | 24 November 1991 (GMT) |
| Target | Ulster Loyalist prisoners |
Attack type | Time bomb |
| Deaths | 2 Loyalist prisoners |
| Injured | 8 Loyalist prisoners |
| Perpetrator | Provisional IRA |
Bombing
Provisional IRA prisoners smuggled semtex and explosive materials into the prison and assembled the bomb. The bomb was made by IRA volunteers from County Tyrone.[2] The bomb was planted in 'C Wing', the loyalists' dining room area, and hidden behind a radiator. The bomb exploded while the loyalist prisoners were eating dinner. UDA member Robert Skey (27) was killed outright and UVF member Colin Caldwell (23) died of his wounds four days later. Eight other people were injured.[3]
In December 1992 the UFF launched a rocket attack at Crumlin Road Prison at what the UFF believed was a republican part of the prison. Nobody was injured.[4]
References
- "CAIN: Chronology of the Conflict 1991". cain.ulster.ac.uk. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
- McDonald, Henry; Cusack, Jim (2016). UVF - The Endgame. Poolbeg Press Ltd.
- Reuters (25 November 1991). "Bomb Goes Off in Ulster Jail, Killing Inmate, Wounding 8". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
- "Protestant terrorists hit top security jail in missile attack". The Herald. Glasgow. Retrieved 12 April 2019.