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7 May 1998 Edition

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Former SF councillor's home attacked

By Mick Naughton

A loyalist pipe bomb attack in the early hours of Tuesday morning May 5 nearly cost former Craigavon Sinn Fein councillor Brendan Curran his life. Brendan has already survived several loyalist gun and bomb attacks. His partner Sheena Campbell was shot dead by the UVF in 1992. An improvised pipe bomb packed with half inch ball bearings and other shrapnel hit the front window before falling into the front garden where it exploded leaving a large hole in the flower bed. Brendan was sitting in the room at the time of the attack. His 16 year old step son was also in the house. Brendan believes the fact that the device failed to penetrate through the window saved his life.

Expressing relief that no one was killed or seriously injured, Sinn Fein Six-County Chairperson Gerry O hEara warned that others may not be so lucky. ``I am calling on all republicans to reassess their personal security. The lack of media attention and comment from politicans who are normally very vocal in their outrage at such incidents when they involve non-republicans is very conspicuous. Once more the lives of republicans are treated with less importance than others.''

Meanwhile, also on Tuesday night, four known loyalists were spotted acting suspiciously in the Wood Grove area of Portadown, close to the Garvarghy Road. Last weekend known loyalists were spotted getting out of a car and scouting close to the Ashgrove area of the town. Using either hand held raidos or mobile phones they loitered for around ten minutes. The loyalist gang chatted amicably to a passing RUC mobile patrol before returning to their car and driving away. A nationalist family whose home was attacked several years ago, around the same time as the last attack on Brendan Curran, lives in this area. Local nationalists believe another attack was being planned.
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