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 West London, England.

1992 Staples Corner bombing
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 A5 Edgware Road flyover beneath the North Circular Road.^[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]

See also

• Chronology of Provisional Irish Republican Army actions (1992–1999)
• Baltic Exchange bombing

References

1. Kirby, Terry (14 July 1992). "IRA City bombers identified by police". The Independent. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
2. Mickolus, Edward F.; Simmons, Susan L. (1997). Terrorism, 1992-1995: A Chronology of Events and a Selectively Annotated. Greenwood. ISBN 978-0313304682.
3. Oppenheimer, A. R. (2008). IRA, The Bombs and the Bullets: A History of Deadly Ingenuity. Irish Academic Press. ISBN 978-0716528951.
4. Bangash, T. (2010). Explosion-Resistant Buildings: Design, Analysis, and Case Studies. Springer. ISBN 978-3642058301.
5. "City of London bomb – news report · British Universities Film & Video Council". Bufvc.ac.uk. 11 April 1992. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
6. Ahmed, Fatema (27 April 2015). "In Brent Cross". London Review of Books. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
7. "IRA claims it planted bomb that killed three – UPI Archives". Upi.com. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
8. "Two bomb blasts in North London · British Universities Film & Video Council". Bufvc.ac.uk. 9 October 1993. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
9. "IRA men guilty of conspiring to plant bombs in London". Herald Scotland. 20 October 1994. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
10. 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.

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