Stephen Carroll was a

Police Service of Northern Ireland The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI; ga, Seirbhís Póilíneachta Thuaisceart Éireann; Ulster Scots dialects, Ulster-Scots: ') is the police, police force that serves Northern Ireland. It is the successor to the Royal Ulster Constabu ...

(PSNI) officer who was killed by the

Continuity IRA The Continuity Irish Republican Army (Continuity IRA or CIRA), styling itself as the Irish Republican Army (), is an Irish republican paramilitary group that aims to bring about a united Ireland. It claims to be a direct continuation of the or ...

on 9 March 2009 in

Craigavon Craigavon may refer to: * Craigavon, County Armagh, a planned town in Northern Ireland ** Craigavon Borough Council, 1972–2015 local government area centred on the planned town * Viscount Craigavon, title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom ** ...

County Armagh County Armagh (, named after its county town, Armagh) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the southern shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and ha ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. Carroll's killing marked the first time a serving police officer had been killed since the

Good Friday Agreement The Good Friday Agreement (GFA), or Belfast Agreement ( ga, Comhaontú Aoine an Chéasta or ; Ulster-Scots: or ), is a pair of agreements signed on 10 April 1998 that ended most of the violence of The Troubles, a political conflict in No ...

in 1998. Two days before the attack the Real IRA shot dead two British soldiers in Massereene, County Antrim. This period marked a significant escalation in the campaign by dissident republicans.

Attack

The Continuity IRA smashed a window with a brick knowing the PSNI would respond. At about 9:45 pm two police vehicles arrived at the scene and when they went to get out they were shot at. A gunman shot Carroll from 50 metres away with an AK-47 while in his patrol car. Carroll was shot in the head.

Aftermath

The Continuity IRA claimed responsibility saying their North Armagh Battalion were responsible for the attack and that "As long as there is British involvement in Ireland, these attacks will continue." On 10 March there was a one-minute silence in the

Northern Ireland Assembly sco-ulster, Norlin Airlan Assemblie , legislature = 7th Northern Ireland Assembly, Seventh Assembly , coa_pic = File:NI_Assembly.svg , coa_res = 250px , house_type = Unicameralism, Unicameral , hou ...

. Prime Minister

Gordon Brown James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. He previously served as Chance ...

stated that "These are murderers who are trying to distort, disrupt and destroy a political process that is working for the people of Northern Ireland," Chief Constable Sir

Hugh Orde Sir Hugh Stephen Roden Orde, (born 27 August 1958) is a retired British police officer who was the president of the Association of Chief Police Officers, representing the 44 police forces of England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Between 2002 a ...

called it a "sad day" and said the gunmen were "criminal psychopaths". Richard Walsh, the spokesman for

Republican Sinn Féin Republican Sinn Féin or RSF ( ga, Sinn Féin Poblachtach) is an Irish republican political party in Ireland. RSF claims to be heirs of the Sinn Féin party founded in 1905 and took its present form in 1986 following a split in Sinn Féin. RS ...

, a party linked to the Continuity IRA, said the killings were "an act of war" rather than murder. "We have always upheld the right of the Irish people to use any level of controlled and disciplined force to drive the British out of Ireland. We make no apology for that". He also described the PSNI as "an armed adjunct of the British Army". Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland

Martin McGuinness James Martin Pacelli McGuinness ( ga, Séamus Máirtín Pacelli Mag Aonghusa; 23 May 1950 – 21 March 2017) was an Irish republican politician and statesman from Sinn Féin and a leader within the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) during ...

said those responsible were "traitors to the island of Ireland" and that "they have betrayed the political desires, hopes and aspirations of all of the people who live on this island." McConville and Wooton have become known as the ‘Craigavon 2’ amongst Irish Republicans who claim their innocence.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carroll, Stephen 2009 in Northern Ireland Attacks by Republicans since the Good Friday Agreement Continuity Irish Republican Army Carroll, Stephen History of County Armagh March 2009 events in the United Kingdom Terrorist incidents in the United Kingdom in 2009 2009 crimes in Ireland Deaths by person in Northern Ireland 2000s murders in Northern Ireland 2009 murders in the United Kingdom

Attack

Aftermath

See also

References