1992 Staples Corner bombing
The 1992 Staples Corner bombing occurred on 11 April 1992 when the Provisional IRA detonated a large van bomb near the Staples Corner junction in north London, England.
1992 Staples Corner bombing | |
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Part of the Troubles | |
![]() The North Circular Road flyover from Tilling Road, looking towards Staples Corner | |
Location | Staples Corner, London, United Kingdom |
Date | 11 April 1992 1:10am (UTC) |
Attack type | Van bomb |
Deaths | 0 |
Injured | 0 |
Perpetrator | Provisional Irish Republican Army |
Description
The attack happened at 1:10 am, a few hours after the major bombing of the Baltic Exchange seven miles away which killed three people. The bomb was home-made like the Baltic Exchange one, and was placed in a white Bedford van.[1] The IRA gave telephone warnings 50 minutes prior from a phone operator in Portadown, Northern Ireland. Police located the van and evacuated the area.[2]
Although no injuries were caused, the blast was powerful and caused significant damage to roads, leaving a crater on the North Circular Road flyover.[3] It was strong enough to be felt several miles away. The bomb damaged a three-storey B&Q DIY superstore and a steel-framed warehouse, and severely damaged warehouse property constructed of light cladding. It was estimated the explosive force was around 100 kg.[4] An eyewitness said the B&Q store was "completely destroyed" and the roof collapsed.[5]
Aftermath
The B&Q superstore had to be demolished and the junction was closed for several months, causing severe disruption.[6] It is one of London's busiest intersections as it forms the lead of the M1 motorway.[7]
On the morning of 8 October 1993, the IRA targeted Staples Corner once again with a small explosion. Around the same time another bomb detonated 2 miles away on West End Lane in West Hampstead.[8] No injuries were caused. In 1994 two IRA members, Gerard Mackin and Derek Doherty, were found guilty of planting 12 bombs throughout London over seven days in October 1993.[9]
In popular culture
Staples Corner is featured in Patrick Keiller's 1994 film London. The scene showcases the wreckage of the bombing days after the explosion in 1992.[10]
References
- Kirby, Terry (July 14, 1992). "IRA City bombers identified by police". The Independent. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
- Mickolus, Edward F.; Simmons, Susan L. (1997). Terrorism, 1992-1995: A Chronology of Events and a Selectively Annotated. Greenwood. ISBN 978-0313304682.
- Oppenheimer, A. R. (2008). IRA, The Bombs and the Bullets: A History of Deadly Ingenuity. Irish Academic Press. ISBN 978-0716528951.
- Bangash, T. (2010). Explosion-Resistant Buildings: Design, Analysis, and Case Studies. Springer. ISBN 978-3642058301.
- "City of London bomb – news report · British Universities Film & Video Council". Bufvc.ac.uk. 1992-04-11. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
- Ahmed, Fatema (April 27, 2015). "In Brent Cross". London Review of Books. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
- "IRA claims it planted bomb that killed three – UPI Archives". Upi.com. Retrieved 2018-05-18.
- "Two bomb blasts in North London · British Universities Film & Video Council". Bufvc.ac.uk. 1993-10-09. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
- "IRA men guilty of conspiring to plant bombs in London". Herald Scotland. October 20, 1994. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
- Kinik, Anthony (1 August 2008). "Dynamic of the Metropolis: The City Film and the Spaces of Modernity" (PDF). McGill University, Montreal. Retrieved 18 May 2018.