Claudy bombing
| Claudy Bombing | |
|---|---|
| Part of The Troubles | |
 |
|
| Location | Main Street, Claudy, Northern Ireland |
| Coordinates | 54°54′41″N 7°9′17″W / 54.91139°N 7.15472°WCoordinates: 54°54′41″N 7°9′17″W / 54.91139°N 7.15472°W |
| Date | 31 July 1972 |
| Target | Unknown |
|
Attack type
|
Car bombings |
| Deaths | 9 |
|
Non-fatal injuries
|
30 |
|
Suspected perpetrators
|
Provisional Irish Republican Army |
The Claudy bombing occurred on 31 July 1972, when three car bombs exploded mid-morning on the Main Street of Claudy in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The attack killed nine civilians, and became known as "Bloody Monday". Those who planted the bombs had attempted to send a warning before the explosions took place. The warning was delayed, however, because the telephones were out of order due to an earlier bomb attack. The Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) issued an immediate denial of responsibility, and later claimed that "an internal court of inquiry" had found that its local unit did not carry out the attack.
On 24 August 2010, following an eight-year investigation, the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland published a report into the bombing, which stated that the Royal Ulster Constabulary believed in the early 1970s that Father James Chesney, a local Roman Catholic priest, was the IRA's quartermaster and Director of Operations of the South Derry Brigade. The report found that the possibility of his involvement in activities including the Claudy bombing was covered up by senior police officers, government ministers and the Roman Catholic hierarchy.
On the 40th anniversary of the bombing, former Provisional IRA leader Martin McGuinness described the events of that day as "appalling and indefensible" and "inflicted on totally innocent people"
On 31 July 1972 at about 4:00 am, the British Army had begun Operation Motorman. This was an operation to regain control of the "no-go areas" (areas controlled by Irish republican paramilitaries) that had been established in Belfast and Derry. The bombing of Claudy may have been a response to this operation.
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