This article is from page 14 of the 2006-11-21 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 14 JPG
GARDAÍ in Clare are satisfied with the level of resources available to secure Shannon Airport. Last week, an Islamic cleric advocated an attack on an Irish airport.
Omar Bakri Mohammed, who is a founder in the UK of the now disbanded al-Muhajiroun movement, advocated an attack on Dublin Airport.
He referred to Dublin as the airport where American forces flew to reach Iraq, “to kill our brothers”, suggesting he was mixing up Dublin with Shannon Airport.
Last July, Garda resources at Shannon intensified, in the wake of a threat by anti-war protesters who claimed they would “shut down” Shannon.
The warning came after five antiwar protesters were acquitted of damaging a US military aircraft at Shannon in February 2003.
Chief Superintendent Liam Quinn told The Clare People that he is satisfied that sufficient resources were available at Shannon, in the wake of the latest threat.
“We have always relied heavily on good intelligence. We have felt so far we have called it about right,” he said. He said he was aware of the latest threat and said the security that had been there for months was still in situ.
“We take any information that we can get our hands on, however that comes, be it through the Internet or otherwise and we gauge our responses accordingly,” he added.
Clare Junior Minister Tony Killeen said, “There is no evidence that I have ever seen that there is an attack planned on Shannon. The Government has decided to continue to make the facilities available for the transportation of troops.
“I agree with that decision. It would be a sorry day if the Government was to bend to threats, whether real or imaginary.”