According to recently revealed government papers, British officials in 1999 took seriously a peculiar threat to contaminate English water systems because it seemed theoretically possible, reports RTE.
In June 1999, the so-called ‘Republican Revenge Group’ sent letters to the British embassy and the Papal Nunciature in Dublin threatening action.
The gang threatened to put weed killer into England’s water supply unless the British government declared that it would leave “occupied Ireland” by the next day, reports RTE.
An ‘Improvised Chemical Weapon’ that would be mounted on fire hydrants was one of the methods described in the letters.
This may possibly damage hundreds of thousands of people by forcing the chemical, a widely accessible weedkiller known as “New Pathclear,” into the water system.
Because the threatening letter was “cohesive and literate,” the technical procedures had been verified and were workable, and it had been sent to the right people in Britain, including the relevant water authorities, the British authorities took the threat seriously even though it might seem unrealistic, reports RTE.
The British embassy in Dublin, however, believed the letter may be a sly ploy by loyalists to disparage republicans.
The reference to “HMG” (Her Majesty’s Government), which no respectable Republican would ever use, was a possible red flag.
Although the risk to life was considered minimal, the authorities felt that, given the circumstances, they had to treat the threat seriously, reports RTE.
Although it may endanger the lives of dialysis patients and infants, most individuals who drank tainted water would just experience stomach discomfort.
For fear of spreading alarm over what may very well be a hoax, the London media, including RTÉ and the Irish newspapers, were summoned to a government briefing and urged not to print the story, reports RTE.
When the deadline passed, the administration indicated it would notify the media of any developments and committed to notify the public if a genuine danger was proven.
In the meantime, gardaà in Dublin were working with British authorities and promptly located a suspect—a former Scottish soldier who lived in Dublin—who was taken into custody but never prosecuted.
Some onlookers referred to him as a “Walter Mitty character,” and it is clear that the authorities believed that a prosecution would do more harm than good, reports RTE.
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