A Protestant extremist was charged Saturday with trying to murder five people, including Sinn Fein leaders Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness, following an abortive bomb attack in Northern Ireland.
Michael Stone, 51, was tackled by security officers Friday at the entrance to the Stormont Parliament Building in Belfast. A handgun, a knife and several homemade pipe bombs were seized, police said.
Security officials were alerted after a man began spray-painting the building with the slogan “Sinn Fein are murderers.” He was stopped before he could finish the last word.
The incident triggered a dramatic evacuation of the assembly after a bag allegedly filled with explosives was thrown into the lobby of Stormont during a debate on self-rule for the British province.
In addition to the attempted murder charges, Stone was charged with possession of explosives with intent to endanger life, possession of an imitation firearm and possession of articles for terrorist purposes, including nail bombs, an axe and a garrotte.
Stone is a longtime supporter of the pro-British Protestant cause in Northern Ireland and was leader of the Ulster Freedom Fighters while in prison for an attack on an IRA funeral in Milltown Cemetery in West Belfast.
He had tossed grenades into a crowd of Catholic mourners, killing three people.
He ran from the scene but was captured and severely beaten. He is arthritic and walks with a limp as a result of the dislocated thigh bone he received in the attack, friends say.
Ref: Loyalist icon charged with attempted murder
I usually get to hear Muslims labelled as extremists, but it sort of caught me by surprise when an individual from another religion was labelled an extremist.
I’ve only heard a little about the tensions in Ireland. I was wondering if someone could provide me with the history as well as some reasons for such an attack?