Real Ulster Freedom Fighters
The Real Ulster Freedom Fighters, otherwise known as the Real UFF, is a loyalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland. It was founded in early 2007 by former members of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) and "Ulster Freedom Fighters" (UFF).[1]
Formation
The group announced its existence on 1 April 2007, shortly after the Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Féin, as the two largest parties, agreed to share power in the Northern Ireland Assembly.[1] In a statement, the group said:
We have had enough of people telling us what to do - if the opportunity arises we will take out the entire UDA leadership because they are selling us out. Protestant areas are still awash with drugs and we are not going to stand by while so-called loyalists line their pockets.[1]
The group claimed to have drawn-up a "death list" that included:[1]
The Real UFF also claimed to have an arsenal that includes rocket launchers, AK-47 assault rifles, handguns, pipe bombs, coffee-jar bombs and under-car booby-trap devices.[1]
Timeline of attacks
- 24 July 2009: The Real UFF claimed responsibility for a pipe bomb attack on a house in Brantwood Gardens, Antrim. Five people narrowly escaped injury when the device exploded in the front garden. The house was owned by a Catholic family and was in a mixed Catholic-Protestant area.[2][3][4]
- 25 September 2009: The Real UFF claimed responsibility for leaving a small bomb outside a house in the Fountain Lane area of Antrim. It failed to explode.[5][6]
- 15 January 2010: The Real UFF claimed responsibility for planting two explosive devices near a community centre in Antrim that was being used by members of the Gaelic Athletic Association. Police described the devices as "crude but non-viable".[7]
- February 2010: The Real UFF made a death threat against the Sinn Féin MLA for North Belfast, Gerry Kelly.[8]
- 13 March 2010: The Real UFF claimed responsibility for a gun attack on a house in Antrim. A shot was fired through a window, but no-one was injured in the attack.[9]
- 11 August 2010: The Real UFF claimed responsibility for leaving a pipe bomb on the windowsill of a house on Fir Grove Lane, Antrim. It failed to explode. The house was owned by a Catholic family.[10][11]
- 12 August 2010: The Real UFF were blamed for planting two pipe bombs ouside separate houses in Antrim. One of the bombs partially exploded, causing damage to the front of a house. Both were later defused by the British Army.[12]
- 6 September 2010: The Real UFF were blamed for planting a pipe bomb in the grounds of a Catholic primary school (St Comgall's) in Antrim. The bomb was found by an eight-year-old boy, who handed it to a teacher. The school was then evacuated and the bomb was defused by the British Army.[13]
See also
References