The police of Northern Ireland warn of possible attacks during Easter, reports BBC News. Supporters of a reunited, independent Ireland would, according to information from the police, want to strike during the Easter days.
Police say they have” strong indications ” that attacks are being prepared in Londonderry (also known as Derry), a city close to the border with Ireland. These attacks were aimed at the police. Police chief Simon Byrne called the possibility of an attack on police “crime at its worst”.
The police are particularly alert on Monday, 25 years after the signing of The Good Friday Agreement. That coincides this year with Easter Monday, the day Irish Republicans traditionally commemorate the uprising against the British in 1916 with a parade.
The British intelligence agency MI5 last month raised the terrorist threat level in Northern Ireland to”serious”. That means that the service considers an attack very likely. Last year, the threat level had actually fallen again for the first time in ten years.
The police warning comes days before US President Joe Biden visits the UK and Ireland.
Biden will begin his visit to Northern Ireland on Tuesday to reflect on The Good Friday Agreement. That ended the years-long battle between Catholic Republicans and Protestant unionists over the future of this part of the United Kingdom in 1998.