THE GANG which travelled from Derry last night to carry out their ‘hit’ in Buncrana has a long history of attacks in both Derry and Donegal.
Republican Action Against Drugs was set up by six former IRA members who did not object to the peace process, but did not agree with new policing measures.
They have warned of attacks in Co Donegal and have carried out a number of attacks.
This is a timeline of hits north and south
2009
▪ 16 April: RAAD claimed responsibility for detonating a pipe bomb at a house on Balmoral Avenue, Derry
▪ 8 June: RAAD claimed responsibility for detonating a pipe bomb under a car in Manorcunnigham.
▪ 7 October: RAAD claimed responsibility for kidnapping and shooting a 27-year-old man in the foot in Derry.
▪ 17 October: RAAD claimed responsibility for shooting a 17-year-old man in both legs at a house on Virginia Court, Derry
▪ 6 December: RAAD claimed responsibility for planting five pipe bombs in Derry. Four targeted cars and the fifth was planted behind a house. Three of the bombs exploded.
▪ 11 December: RAAD claimed responsibility for kidnapping and shooting two men (aged 29 and 27) in the legs in Derry. One of the men later admitted that he had been involved in dealing “dodgy merchandise”
2010
▪ 27 January: RAAD was blamed for shooting a 52-year-old man in the legs at his shop on Waterloo Street, Derry. It is thought the man was targeted for selling legal highs. The attacker fled on a motorcycle.
▪ 23 February: RAAD claimed responsibility for shooting a 29-year-old man in both legs on Rinmore Drive, Derry. In a statement to a local newspaper, RAAD claimed that the man had been warned about his activities and that he had been “punished” for failing to heed that warning.
▪ 28 March: RAAD claimed responsibility for exploding two pipe bombs in Derry. One exploded in a van on High Park and another exploded in a car on Carrickreagh Gardens.
▪ 28 March: RAAD claimed responsibility for planting an explosive device outside a head shop in Letterkenny. It was made safe by the security forces. In a statement, RAAD said it was the “first and only warning” the shop would receive. It closed shortly the next day.
▪ 30 March: RAAD claimed in a statement that its members had fired a shot at a house in Dungiven, Co Derry. It added that the members “arrested” a man in the town who later “gave an undertaking to cease his activity immediately”.
▪ 13 April: RAAD were blamed for shooting a 24-year-old man in the leg at his house on Cable Street, Derry.
▪ 19 April: RAAD claimed responsibility for exploding two pipe bombs at houses in the Derry area. One exploded at a house on Spruce Meadows in Culmore, Derry, and another at a house on Westland Street in Derry.
▪ 19 April: RAAD claimed responsibility for shooting a 24-year-old man in both legs at a house on Lisnafin Park in Strabane.
▪ 20 April: RAAD claimed responsibility for exploding a pipe bomb outside a house on Dunmore Gardens, Derry.
▪ 21 April: RAAD were blamed for exploding a pipe bomb outside a house on Anderson Crescent, Limavady, Co Derry.
▪ 15 May: RAAD were believed to have been behind a gun attack on a house in Newry
▪ 21 May: RAAD were blamed for shooting an 18-year-old man in the leg in Newry.
▪ 22 May: RAAD were blamed for shooting dead a 25-year-old man in his home at Glebe Gardens, Strabane. He was shot once in each leg and once in the arm. The man had recently returned from England, after being threatened by RAAD for dealing cocaine. The gunmen told him to leave Northern Ireland within 24 hours. On 3 June, the man’s then-vacant house was set alight.
▪ 23 May: RAAD were blamed for exploding a pipe bomb in a car at O’Nolan Park, Strabane.
▪ 27 May: RAAD claimed responsibility for exploding a pipe bomb at a house in Springhill Park, Strabane. The group said it was a warning to the owner to cease drug dealing.
▪ 28 May: RAAD claimed responsibility for planting a pipe bomb in Celtic Bar on Stanley’s Walk, Derry. It failed to explode.
▪ 3 June: RAAD were blamed for exploding a pipe bomb inside a parked car in the Ballycolman area of Strabane. Four masked men smashed the car window and threw the bomb inside shortly after midnight.
▪ 3 June: RAAD claimed responsibility for exploding a pipe bomb inside a car in the Ardgrange area of Derry.
▪ 8 June: RAAD claimed responsibility for exploding a pipe bomb at the door of a house in the Ardgrange area of Derry. It said that the owner was a “career criminal” and was selling heroin.
▪ 8 June: RAAD claimed that it held a “show of strength” in the Creggan,Derry. RAAD members allegedly searched a row of shops before firing 80 shots in the air using automatic weapons.
▪ 15 June: RAAD claimed to have seized “several thousand” e tabs from a criminal gang and handed them to a community worker in Derry for destruction.
▪ 25 June: RAAD were blamed for exploding a pipe bomb at the front door of a house on Hawthorn Drive, Derry. The house was owned by a convicted drug smuggler and his partner, who had recently been fined for drug possession.The group later claimed responsibility.
▪ 17 July: RAAD were blamed for shooting a taxi driver in both legs at Glebe Gardens, Strabane.
▪ 26 July: RAAD claimed responsibility for raiding a house in Dunmore Gardens, Derry. Four men entered the house (which was occupied) and fired shots before leaving. RAAD stated that the homeowner had ignored its warnings to stop dealing drugs. The man later admitted this, and claimed that he had stopped dealing drugs since the raid.
▪ 31 August: RAAD claimed responsibility for firing shots at a house in Dove Gardens, Derry. It also claimed to have discovered and destroyed 12 cannabis plants in a house a week earlier. When the PSNI responded to the incident they were attacked with petrol bombs and other missiles.
▪ 18 September: A RAAD member fired warning shots during a disturbance on Bligh’s Lane, Derry. A news report claimed that shots were fired at a group of youths,[51] but RAAD claimed that the shots had been fired “over their heads”. In a statement to the Derry Journal, it said “We were left with no option but to act after the people involved attacked a house at Rinmore Drive to gain entry to drink and take drugs”. It also claimed that the youths had been involved in “drug dealing, drug taking, joyriding, assaults, arson and intimidation of local residents” in the area.
▪ 17 October: RAAD claimed responsibility for shooting a 20-year-old man in the legs at his home in Slievemore Park, Derry. He had been convicted of assaulting an ambulance driver in 2007 and RAAD claimed that he continued to be involved in “anti-social behaviour and criminality”.
▪ 23 October: RAAD claimed responsibility for shooting a 20-year-old man as he delivered food to a house in Creggan Heights, Derry. He was hit six times in the legs. The group claimed he was involved in drug dealing and that had been “under close surveillance” for the past ten months.The man later admitted being a drug dealer and claimed to have stopped after the shooting.
▪ 21 November: RAAD were blamed for exploding a pipe bomb inside a man’s car at Cromore Gardens, Derry. The man denied being involved in drug dealing.
2011
▪ 7 March: RAAD claimed responsibility for firing shots at a house in Muff. In a statement, it said it had “attempted to execute” a named individual, adding, “Only for a malfunctioning weapon he would be dead”.[57] On 24 May 2011, it claimed responsibility for a bomb attack at the same house.
▪ 13 March: RAAD was blamed for shooting a 20-year-old man in the legs at Springhill Park, Strabane.
▪ 2 June: RAAD claimed responsibility for detonating a small bomb at the door of a house on Lecky Road, Derry. Shrapnel went through two nearby windows but there were no injuries. The group apologized for “causing any distress”.On 7 July, it claimed responsibility for shooting a 36-year-old man in the legs at a house on the same road.
▪ 17 November: RAAD claimed responsibility for shooting a 61-year-old man at a house in Ballyarnet, Derry. Three days later, it claimed responsibility for shooting a 22-year-old man in the legs at a house on Creggan Road in the city.
▪ 13 December: RAAD was blamed for shooting two men in the legs at High Park, Derry. One of them was a nephew of Martin McGuinness.
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