Brighton Bomber: 'I would do it again.' Brendan Montague Saturday September 10, 2004 The Argus TERRORIST Patrick Magee has said he would bomb Brighton again. The convicted IRA killer admitted if he could turn the clock back two decades, he would still activate the timer which triggered the deadly bomb. This Tuesday will be the 20th anniversary of the day Magee checked into the Grand hotel in Brighton under the name Roy Walsh and planted the deadly device under a bath in room 629. Five innocent people were killed and 34 injured when the explosives were detonated six weeks later at 2.54am on Friday, October 12, 1984. During an exclusive interview with The Argus on the anniversary of the bombing, the Republican said he regretted the loss of life. But he added: "We always look back with the benefit of hindsight to see if we would do things differently and that is very true 20 years on. "But I have to say I would have done it ­ I would have planted the bomb in the hotel. "I still believe Brighton made a contribution to the peace process. "Brighton in itself would not have been sufficient. We had to prove we could sustain it and we did prove that." Magee also argued the IRA would have bombed a Labour cabinet and said the attack on Margaret Thatcher was not "personal." He said: "I do see this as a legitimate operation. The intention was to target the British political establishment. "I didn't target Margaret Thatcher, the IRA did not target Thatcher. I was targeting the British establishment ­ it could just have easily been a Labour government. "Brighton would have made such a statement that we had to go for it but we did try to minimise the risk. "We were more concerned about staff at the hotel. That was a big concern of mine. The operation was timed with a view of protecting the hotel. "But I would not have been concerned about the relatives of the Tories. At that time I would have seen them as part of the political establishment. "Now I see them as innocent and I cannot justify that." He added: "Any civilian that was caught up in the bombing I do apologise. I am sorry, I do regret that. "How could I not regret that Margaret Tebbit is in a wheelchair? I do regret that. Whatever I do will not bridge that gap." Magee was convicted of the bombing in September 1986 and received eight life sentences which the judge said should mean 35 years behind bars. But the father-of-two was released from the Maze prison five years ago as part of the Good Friday Agreement and now lives in West Belfast with his second wife and two sons.   Brighton Bomb remembered THE IRA chief explosives officer tells how he was sent to plant the device aimed at the Tory Cabinet.. IN THE first part of a series of articles to mark the 20th anniversary of the IRA bombing in Brighton, reporter BRENDAN MONTAGUE interviews Patrick Magee, the man who planted the bomb on September 14, 1984 that would rip apart the Grand Hotel. PATRICK MAGEE checked into room 629 at The Grand hotel in Brighton on September 14, 1984, with 100lb of gelignite in his luggage. His perfected English accent helped him avoid the attention of the lobby staff. The 5ft 8in bomber was part of an IRA active service unit and the operation was designed to assassinate prime minister Margaret Thatcher and the entire Cabinet. He used the false identity Roy Walsh ­ the real name of an IRA member in prison at the time ­ to book a threenight halfboard stay and would, on his departure, pay the Ł180 bill in cash. The bomb was hidden behind a bath panel and wrapped in cellophane to prevent it being found by sniffer dogs. A timing device from a parking meter was used to delay the explosion by precisely 24 days, six hours and 36 minutes. Having primed the explosives Magee ­ it has been alleged there was one other person in the room ­ ordered a bottle of vodka and three cans of Coke to celebrate. On the final day of his stay, room service also delivered tea and turkey sandwiches. The only evidence linking Magee to the crime at the time of his conviction was a palm print on the hotel registration card, evidence the IRA bomber still questions. The bomb exploded with devastating effect, sending a huge chimney plunging through nine floors and ripping down the front of the hotel. Five people were killed and 34 injured. Margaret Tebbit, the wife of Trade and Industry secretary Norman Tebbit, suffered spinal injuries that would leave her paralysed for life. Magee was handed eight life sentences when he was convicted of the Brighton bombing in September 1986. Two decades later Magee, 52, remains a staunch Republican who defends his actions as a political act of war. He admitted planting the bomb only in 2000 to the daughter of Sir Anthony Berry, Jo Berry, and rarely speaks about the atrocity. But he agreed to talk to The Argus about his life, his membership of the IRA and the innocent people he killed. I met Magee in the Europa Hotel in Belfast. The convicted IRA killer set up a charity to help victims and perpetrators of terrorist attacks come to terms with "the Troubles." However, the father-of-two still argues the attack on the British government was legitimate. On the anniversary of 9/11, such views will provoke strong emotions. Magee said: "People today do make a connection with al-Qaeda but I totally disagree with what al-Qaeda is doing. The whole policy is wrong. "I think it's wrong to target civilians and I cannot justify that. "I know Republicans killed civilians but we did not target civilians, although I think you could argue quite legitimately we did not do enough to safeguard innocent people. "In terms of Brighton, I don't know what more we could have done. I do regret the loss of life. And I do regret the circumstances for Margaret Tebbit ­ I imagine that would be worth nothing to her. "What you have to remember is the distinction between the violence of the oppressed and the violence of the oppressor. "The British Government had all the power and how did they use that ­ to exclude people and deliberately kill people. The British Government colluded and collaborated with Loyalists to kill as part of their military campaign. "There was more moral underpinning to the IRA than what the British were up to and that is only coming out now." Patrick Magee was born in Belfast in 1951 into a family entrenched in the Republican movement. His grandfather and his mother's two brothers had all been interned by the British. His father served an apprenticeship but was unable to find work in the Belfast docks because he was a Catholic. The Magee family moved to Norwich in 1955 to escape the bitter divisions. But four-year-old Magee struggled to fit in with the English children at school and his mother was desperately unhappy in the East Anglian city. He committed a string of petty crimes and earned the nickname The Chancer. Soon a romantic myth was built upon the happy childhood memories of Belfast and although he lost his accent, Magee still retained a feeling of Irish identity. "I've got a lot of memories of Belfast and the area I grew up in. It was a vibrant community which is no longer there. It's been redeveloped. "Both sides of my family had been involved in the Republican movement and spent time in prison. "We used to go back there when I was a child. It was always part of my life. "Moving was traumatic for me but also for my mother. She was never happy. I never felt comfortable in Norwich." There was an escalation of violence in the province during the Seventies and the young Magee watched with increasing fury. Magee moved back to Northern Ireland during Christmas 1971 when he was 19 and within months had become embroiled in the Troubles. The future IRA bomber claims he had no intention of joining the terrorist organisation when he left Britain. He worked as tea boy in a factory, in holiday camps and factories. "Because of the Troubles here I felt drawn to come back. I just wanted to understand what was happening. I didn't come here to join the IRA. "There was a time when I would have called myself a pacifist. When I was 15 that would have been my politics." The teenager moved into Unity Flats in the Catholic part of the Protestant-dominated Shankhill Road. "I was deeply impressed by the way that small community coped with the pressure it was under. It was under siege. The British Army was camped outside and there were barracks a very short way away. "There were big gun battles and we were just a stone's throw from the Falls Road. Few people would have kept out of it. "Politically, I was left wing and I was in People's Democracy at that time. I felt there was more I could contribute." The turning point for Magee was in 1972 when he was arrested in Belfast. He was held at Long Kesh and claim fellow captives were forced to stay awake for days and were beaten by British soldiers. "The whole thing shook me up. I started to get angry. It was then the anger started to flow." Earlier that year, on January 30, a total of 13 people were shot dead in the Bogside district of Londonderry by British soldiers on Bloody Sunday. The event lead to a huge rise in the ranks of the armed IRA. Magee was drinking in a club in Belfast when the coaches filled with people who had witnessed the events arrived home. "I remember watching a young girl when she broke down on stage. "Joining the IRA just seemed the next natural step. Motives are always complex. I can say I was in 100 percent agreement with them politically. "There was an anger there. Maybe there had to be. How could we do what was required unless we were fuelled by a sense of grievance? "Bloody Sunday was part of the whole. But it was not one thing, it was an accumulation. "There was an absolute hatred against the British. It was a complete demonisation. We did not see them as human beings. You lose your sense of humanity. "The soldiers were detested, loathed and you spent years thinking up ways of doing them harm. "August 1970 was a dramatic change but what changed was a people. It was the brutality they experienced at the hands of the British. That is an unpalatable fact for most British people. "A whole generation wanted to join the IRA. There were five-year-olds wanting to be 16 so they could join the IRA. "I had to wait about three months so they could see what you could do. That was tough when all you wanted to do was get involved." Magee whispered his intent to join the "armed struggle" and was soon approached by a senior member. In the back room of a small flat a secret initiation process took place. Magee was now a member of the terrorist organisation. In a matter of years he would become its chief explosives officer. Within months of becoming a member of an active service unit, Magee was on the run. And in 1973, aged 22, he was held at the Maze Prison in Belfast for the first time after admitting he was an IRA member. The prisoners, aged from 15 to 60, were regularly subjected to beatings and humiliation at the hands of the British, Magee claims. "I was there during the burning. There were good times too, although it's amazing I can make that statement. I have very fond memories. It's the comradeship." Magee was released in 1975 and within hours was back on "active duty" with the IRA until he was arrested again in June 1985. The Greenwich gasworks bombing and an attempt to blow up a tank of aviation fuel at Canvey Island were both attributed to Magee. "I will not discuss the operational detail of Brighton in any way," he said. As he stood outside The Grand hotel on Brighton's seafront on September 14, 1984, he put aside any thoughts of the inevitable loss of life. "I had a job to do and I did it. I may seem cold but there is no other way to deal with it. It was just another operation. I just had to get from A to B, to be honest. "Pat Magee did not bomb Brighton. The IRA bombed Brighton. Do you think one person could conjure up all that was required, the organisation, the experience gained over years? "The decision would have been made by the IRA. That process was then carried out. "I recognised the enormity of the job because of the consequences. I felt we had to be heard and we were not being heard. "We had to bring the war to the enemy to make them sit up and take note and live up to their responsibilities. "They had to sort this mess out. They let it happen. The IRA didnąt come on to the scene until very late in the day. The IRA was dormant. It grew very rapidly to deal with a mushrooming situation. "Brighton was one operation of many that helped us break out of that containment." Six weeks elapsed between the planting of the bomb and the explosion that would kill five innocent people. The man responsible evaded the police but intensive investigations revealed he had escaped to Holland. Magee sat in a remote rural pub in Cork, in the south of Ireland, drinking Guinness and watching the news as the fateful hour approached. "There was a feeling of relief it had gone off. Pride is a very difficult concept and the word would cause misunderstanding. I did what I had to do and I have to live with it. "Quite honestly, and there are a lot of people who will find this offensive, but it was popular. We all know Margaret Thatcher was not a popular politician and in Ireland this was popular. "We were not going to lose any Brownie points. It gave the IRA esteem. What was plain was we could strike at the heart of government. "It was an armed struggle that bought the time for the necessary political work. "That moment I felt 'I am not going to walk away from this one. They will figure out who is responsible and they will come after me'. "There is part of me that says they're never going to forgive me and I am still looking over my shoulder in case someone runs me over. "That was a sobering moment but it never stopped me going into active duty again." The IRA had successfully attacked the most senior members of the British Government. The police, secret services and armed forces enacted an immediate clampdown. Few IRA operatives were able to get to Britain and there was a lull in terrorist attacks. But within months Patrick Magee was in Glasgow planning a spate of attacks at seaside resorts across the country. A total of 16 bombs were to be detonated in July and August 1985 with a devastating effect on the communities involved and the national economy. Magee's palm print was later found on the registration card at the Rubens Hotel, opposite Buckingham Palace, where a 5lb bomb was discovered and detonated in a controlled explosion. The hunt for Magee was a matter of life and death. Undercover officers were on the trail of senior IRA member Peter Sherry and watched as he met Magee at Glasgow station in June. They followed as the two men walked to a flat and later raided the safe house. The armed officers uncovered a large cache of timers similar to that used in Brighton and the hit list of British tourist towns. "There was a knock on the door, I was expecting the landlord. "There were two figures blackening the doorway. I knew straight away they were police officers but I didn't know if it was routine business. "They just stormed through. There was a gun to my head and my shoes were taken. "You just think in terms of damage limitation. That's part of the training. You just have to keep it shut." Magee says he was "not touched" in prison but claims the Scottish police threatened other forces would be allowed access if he did not confess. The IRA volunteer would be convicted and sentenced to seven life sentences for the Brighton bomb, including one each for the five people killed. The judge, Mr Justice Boreman, described Magee as "a man of exceptional cruelty". The IRA bomber responded by raising his fist and shouting the Republican slogan "Tiochfaidh ar La" ­ our day will come. A further charge was brought for conspiracy relating to the timers and a calendar of violence found in Belfast. The other defendants in the Brighton bomb trial were Gerard McDonnel, 34, Peter Sherry, 30, Martina Anderson, 23, and Ella O'Dwyer, 26. Magee would eventually serve 14 years, including another spell in the Maze prison. During his imprisonment he read more than 160 novels touching on the Troubles and completed a PhD on the subject. "Everyone was doing stuff and involved in personal development in jail, either Irish or history and political studies. "There were 30 to 40 people doing university degrees in the Republican block ­ it really was an academic atmosphere. "A lot of the ordinary prisoners succumbed to the pressure of prison in a bad way mentally and psychologically but most of us did survive fine. "A lot of people would classify it as criminality but to me it was a political act. I saw myself as a political prisoner. "I will never say I was guilty of Brighton ­ I was responsible for Brighton." Magee was released in June 1999 under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement, a move Tony Blair said was "very hard to stomach". Magee said the IRA is still needed to reassure the Catholic community in Belfast but supports the disarmament and the Good Friday process. "I was on a high for ten years. It was such a pleasure taking a walk, going into a shop, just quiet things. "Even now I have to pinch myself. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to be out within 20 years. "I didn't report back to the IRA. It was not a conscientious decision but other things had happened in between. "I'm still a Republican. I have not changed. But victims may find it more difficult if I was in Sinn Fein. "I am beginning to think I will always be known just as the Brighton bomber. "I've never been back to Brighton. I think that would be wrong. There is more to lose than to gain from it." Magee has met Harvey Thomas, almost killed in the bombing, and Jo Berry, who lost her father Sir Anthony Berry. He set up the Causeway Project charity to help reconcile the victims and perpetrators of violence related to the Troubles. Magee admitted he feared he would go to hell for his actions. "It does not matter that you can stand by an action that has killed human beings, the fact is I have killed human beings. "I am not a particularly religious person but I fear to a certain extent that further down the line I am going to answer for that at some profound level."