IRA Commander confesses to assassinating Lord Mountbatten

Police urged to investigate former IRA commander who confessed to assassinating King Charles's great uncle, Lord Mountbatten

• Ex-IRA commander sensationally confesses to being behind the assassination of King Charles's beloved great-uncle

Lord Mountbatten, King Charles's great uncle, was murdered aged 79 when the IRA blew up his fishing boat while he was on holiday at his summer home in Mullaghmore, Sligo

Police last night faced mounting pressure to investigate a former IRA commander who confessed to The Mail on Sunday that he was behind the assassination of King Charles's great uncle.

Michael Hayes callously boasted to this newspaper that he designed the bomb that killed Lord Mountbatten and masterminded the 1979 atrocity in Sligo, Ireland. But, despite his comments this month, the Irish police have refused to say whether they intend to investigate him.

Last night, Theresa Villiers, who was Northern Ireland Secretary between 2012 and 2016, said the police should investigate Hayes's confession 'as soon as possible'.

She added: 'This terrorist attack was truly horrific and admissions made in relation to it need to be properly investigated.'

Michael Hayes callously boasted to this newspaper that he designed the bomb that killed Lord Mountbatten and masterminded the 1979 atrocity in Sligo, Ireland

Another former Northern Ireland Minister told the MoS: 'It would be utterly hypocritical for the authorities in the Republic to turn a blind eye to this when the Irish government is taking the UK to court over our decision to offer a conditional amnesty to people suspected of crimes during the Troubles.

'This was an extraordinary admission from this ex-IRA commander and it must be investigated as a matter of urgency.'

Lord Mountbatten was murdered aged 79 when the IRA blew up his fishing boat during a holiday at his summer home in Mullaghmore, Sligo.

Only one IRA member was convicted – Thomas McMahon was jailed for life for murder but freed under the Good Friday Agreement.

Speaking to the MoS at his home in Dublin, Hayes bragged: 'I blew up Earl Mountbatten', adding: 'Yes, I blew him up. McMahon put it on his boat . . . I planned everything, I am commander in chief.'

Senior Tory MP Sir Robert Buckland said: 'It would be intolerable if this extraordinary confession was not investigated.'

A Garda spokesman said: 'Any information coming to our attention in relation to any criminal act in this jurisdiction is subject to assessment to determine what, if any, action may be appropriate.'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13459959/Police-urged-investigate-former-IRA-commander-confessed-assassinating-King-Charless-great-uncle-Lord-Mountbatten.html

I masterminded the plot to blow up Lord Mountbatten: Ex-IRA commander sensationally confesses to being behind the assassination of King Charles's beloved great-uncle who was murdered aged 79 during a holiday at his summer home in Ireland

A ruthless ex-IRA commander has sensationally confessed to The Mail on Sunday that he was behind the assassination of King Charles's beloved great-uncle.

In an astonishing admission set to cause huge pain to Charles, Michael Hayes callously boasted that he designed the explosive device that killed Lord Mountbatten, and masterminded the atrocity.

Lord Mountbatten – a mentor to both Prince Philip and the then Prince Charles – was murdered aged 79 when the IRA blew up his pleasure boat during a holiday at his summer home in Co Sligo, on the west coast of the Republic of Ireland, in August 1979.

Only one member of the IRA was ever convicted of the atrocity. Thomas McMahon was arrested on the day of the blast and jailed for life but later released under the Good Friday Agreement. 

But now, after being approached by a MoS reporter, Hayes has bragged: 'I blew up Earl Mountbatten.'

Michael Hayes (pictured) callously boasted that he designed the explosive device that killed Lord Mountbatten, and masterminded the atrocity

Hayes (pictured) said that he did not regret killing Lord Mountbatten and coldly described the two teenage boys who died as 'casualties of war' 

Lord Mountbatten – a mentor to both Prince Philip and the then Prince Charles – who was murdered aged 79

Killed alongside the earl were his grandson Nicholas, 14; Doreen Brabourne, 83, Nicholas's grandmother; and crewman Paul Maxwell, 15, of Enniskillen.

Legal experts this weekend told the MoS that Hayes's admission made him liable for prosecution for the murders, if the Irish police and Director of Public Prosecution decided to pursue him.

Hayes said that he did not regret killing Lord Mountbatten and coldly described the two teenage boys who died as 'casualties of war'.

As Buckingham Palace last night declined to comment, Ian Paisley Jr, the Democratic Unionist Party MP for North Antrim in Ulster, called for the Garda Síochána, the police service in the Republic of Ireland, to 'immediately' investigate Hayes.

'The sensational, shocking and blood-curdling statement by a self-confessed, cold-blooded murderer ought to be immediately investigated by the police and the man brought to justice,' he said.

Queen Elizabeth II pictured chatting with Lord Louis Mountbatten at the Guards Polo Club on June 1 1975

The IRA blew up Mountbatten's pleasure boat during a holiday at his summer home in Co Sligo, on the west coast of the Republic of Ireland. Pictured: The wreckage after the explosion

Legal experts this weekend told the MoS that Hayes's admission made him liable for prosecution for the murders. Pictured: Part of the wreakage of Lord Mountbattens boat the Shadow V, circa August 1979

The brutal killing of Lord Mountbatten, who was affectionately known as 'Uncle Dickie' by the Royal Family, affected Charles deeply. In his diary, the 31-year old Prince of Wales wrote of 'agony, disbelief, a kind of wretched numbness'. But in 2015 Charles showed forgiveness, shaking hands with Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams after travelling to Ireland to see where Mountbatten died.

Hayes, a grandfather who lives alone in Dublin, was previously named as one of four men behind the 1974 IRA Birmingham bombings and has taken what he called 'collective responsibility' for all of the IRA's actions in England.

But he has never before linked himself to the murder of Lord Mountbatten and the other victims who died when a remote-controlled 50lb bomb ripped through the hull of the Shadow V. Speaking to a MoS reporter, Hayes revealed that he was McMahon's 'commanding officer'. He said: 'Tom McMahon, he was only a participant. I am an explosives expert, I am renowned. I was trained in Libya. I trained there as an explosives expert.'

Asked if he was saying that he was the man who designed the bomb, he boasted: 'Yes, I blew him up. McMahon put it on his boat ... I planned everything, I am commander in chief. '

Hayes has never before linked himself to the murder of Lord Mountbatten and the other victims who died when a remote-controlled 50lb bomb ripped through the hull of the Shadow V. Pictured: Debris of the boat following the blast

The brutal killing of Lord Mountbatten (pictured), who was affectionately known as 'Uncle Dickie' by the Royal Family, affected Charles deeply

Prince Charles is pictured with Lord Louis Mountbatten at a polo match holding pint of beer 

Earl Mountbatten's coffin is carried during his funeral following his death at the age of 79

Hayes confirmed to the MoS that he was in County Sligo at the time of the bombing, adding: 'I blew up Earl Mountbatten in Sligo.'

There is no bar to prosecution of Troubles-era offences and any immunity as part of the Good Friday Agreement only applies to convictions handed down for crimes that have been prosecuted before the courts. A legal source said: 'This person [Hayes] could very reasonably be prosecuted...'

Asked if detectives would investigate Hayes, a Garda spokesman said: 'As a matter of public record, two persons were prosecuted in respect of the murder of Lord Mountbatten. One individual was acquitted and a second individual served a sentence of imprisonment and was subsequently released pursuant to the Good Friday Agreement.' But when asked if he feared prosecution, Hayes said: 'No.' Asked if he regretted the explosion he said: 'Blowing up Mountbatten? No.'

But asked about the two boys murdered that day, he called the youngsters 'casualties of war'.

Last night Mary Hornsey, 84, mother of young victim Paul Maxwell, said she would welcome a police probe into Hayes' claims 'to see whether or not he was involved, whether he really was the commander who did give the order'.

She added: 'I think we would require justice, not revenge.' Speaking of the loss of her son, she explained: 'It's something that never goes away.'

Senior Tory MP Sir Iain Duncan Smith, who served in Northern Ireland with the Scots Guards, also urged the Garda to investigate Hayes's claim, adding: 'It's important to get to the truth.'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13433877/ex-ira-michael-hayes-lord-mountbatten-king-charles.html

Arrest Lord Mountbatten’s self-confessed killer, IRA victims demand

Families of the Birmingham pub bombing victims yesterday demanded that a former IRA commander implicated in the atrocity be arrested after he confessed to being behind Lord Mountbatten's murder.

Michael Hayes told The Mail on Sunday that he designed and masterminded the attack that blew up the pleasure boat of King Charles's beloved great-uncle in 1979.

The unrepentant grandfather has always denied claims he was responsible for the two Birmingham blasts, which killed 21 people in 1974, despite claiming to have defused a third device.

Yesterday Julie Hambleton, whose sister Maxine, 18, was killed in the atrocity and who has led the Birmingham families' fight for justice, said that Hayes 'absolutely should be arrested'. Ms Hambleton, 61, added: 'He has made admissions, and if you or I said such a thing our feet wouldn't touch the ground.'

Julie Hambleton (pictured, outside the Civil Justice Centre in Birmingham after the conclusion of the Birmingham Inquests in 2019), whose sister Maxine, 18, was killed in the atrocity and who has led the Birmingham families' fight for justice, said that Hayes 'absolutely should be arrested'

An anonymous ex-IRA member told the 2019 inquests into the Birmingham bombings that Hayes, a toolsetter in the city at the time, was one of four men involved. Hayes, now living in Dublin, has consistently denied building the bombs used to destroy the Tavern in the Town and Mulberry Bush pubs.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13436411/Families-Birmingham-pub-bombing-IRA-arrested.html

Anger from families of Birmingham pub bombing victims as it was announced no one will face charges over the atrocity

• Two blasts ripped apart the Mulberry Bush and the nearby Tavern In The Town, between 8.15pm and 8.20pm, on November 21, 1974
• The Jury heard how casualties were 'crawling over bodies' to escape the devastation

The families of those killed in the Birmingham pub bombings told of their anger after it emerged no one will face charges over the atrocity.

Julie Hambleton, whose 18-year-old sister Maxine was one of the 21 people killed in the 1974 IRA attack, said 'we have been let down and treated with nothing but contempt for decades...this is just the latest example of that'.

A further 220 were injured when devices exploded within minutes of each other in two city centre pubs on November 21, 1974. 

Despite being one of the deadliest acts of the Troubles, no-one has been convicted of the murders of the 21 victims

The Birmingham pub bombing victims: (top row, left to right) Michael Beasley, 30, Stan Bodman, 47, James Craig, 34, Paul Davies, 17, Trevor Thrupp, 33, Desmond Reilly, 20 and James Caddick, 40, (second row, left to right) Maxine Hambleton, 18, Jane Davis, 17, Maureen Roberts, 20, Lynn Bennett, 18, Anne Hayes, 18, Marilyn Nash, 22 and Pamela Palmer, 19, (bottom row, left to right) Thomas Chaytor, 28, Eugene Reilly, 23, Stephen Whalley, 21, John Rowlands, 46, John 'Cliff' Jones, 51, Charles Gray, 44, and Neil Marsh, 16 (no picture available)

At an inquest in 2019, five men were named in connection with the attacks, including two who are still alive.

One of them, Michael Hayes, in his 70s, is living in Dublin.

Margaret Smith, (centre) whose daughter Maxine Hambleton, 18, was killed in the bombings.

Julie Hambleton, sister of victim Maxine Hambleton, has campaigned for prosecution of those responsible for the 1974 bombings

The Mulberry Bush pub, after the bombing

The iconic Rotunda, where the pub was located

The devices, detonating in 'massive explosions' just minutes apart inside the pubs, brought 'devastation', jurors heard.

Family members of the victims of the bombings gather in the grounds of Birmingham Cathedral around a memorial to the 21 killed

Jurors heard how that night, young friends 16-year-old Neil Marsh, known as Tommy, and Paul Davies, 17, had been walking past the Mulberry Bush when the 25lb (11kg) device detonated, and were killed.

John Ashurst, a passenger on a bus driving past at the time of the explosion, said: 'I was looking at the Mulberry Bush, and I just saw the front of it disintegrate and fly towards the bus.'

Pedestrians walk past the memorial to the 21 victims

Solicitor David McVeighty, now 70, was a young man catching a post-work drink in the pub with his brother Raymond and three friends that night.

He described a 'bright flash' and 'a very loud bang' which blew out every window in the pub.

Mr McVeighty grabbed his brother by the arm, got out through the shattered window, and they ran.

'I remember bodies. I remember the smell of burning and I remember screams and moans.'