Red Hand Defenders - Notable Attacks - Timeline - 2001

2001

• 24 Jan: The RHD claimed responsibility for firing shots at the home of prominent republican Martin Óg Meehan (son of Sinn Féin MLA Martin Meehan) in Ardoyne, Belfast. On 29 Jan it claimed responsibility for firing shots at the home of Martin Óg Meehan's brother on the same street.
• 05 Feb: The RHD claimed responsibility for an attempted pipe bomb attack on the home of a Catholic family in Ardoyne, Belfast. The man who lived there was a former republican prisoner. It failed to explode.
• 19 Jun: The RHD issued a death threat to husband and wife Sinn Féin councillors Breige and Martin Meehan.
• 04 Jul: The RHD claimed responsibility for shooting dead a Catholic civilian as he waited for a lift to work in Antrim. The attack was a drive-by shooting by gunmen on a motorbike. In a call to a newspaper, a RHD spokesman said the teenager had been shot in "direct response to the Catholic people of Antrim voting in two Sinn Féin . They are going to have to pay the price for it. God Save Ulster".
• 20 Jul: The RHD claimed responsibility for firing shots into Ashton Community Centre in the nationalist Ardoyne area of Belfast. There were staff and children inside at the time. In a statement, the RHD said: "all nationalist people hostile and legitimate targets".
• 29 Jul: The RHD claimed responsibility for shooting dead a Protestant civilian as he stood outside St Edna's Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) club in Newtownabbey. The attack was a drive-by shooting on a group of people. Brett was hit by automatic fire as he stood with his Catholic friends.
• 30 Jul: The RHD claimed responsibility for two pipe bombs that exploded outside the Golden Thread theatre at a community centre in north Belfast. Over 250 people were watching a youth theatre production inside. One woman was hospitalized for shock.
• 22 Aug: The RHD claimed responsibility for a string of bomb alerts across Northern Ireland. A suspect device was found under a van in Armagh; a pipe bomb was found at a Sinn Féin office in Cookstown; a pipe bomb was found at a GAA club in Garvagh; and a pipe bomb exploded at a GAA club in Gulladuff.
• 23 Aug: The RHD claimed responsibility for two pipe bomb attacks on the home of a Catholic family at Deerpark Parade, Belfast. It also claimed responsibility for an attempted pipe bomb attack on a GAA club in Desertmartin.
• 28 Aug: The RHD claimed responsibility for an attempted car bomb attack in the middle of Ballycastle. Thousands of people were in the town to celebrate the yearly Auld Lammas Fair. The bomb was found by the RUC and defused by the British Army.
• 29 Aug: The RHD claimed responsibility for two pipe bomb attacks on the home of a Catholic family in Ballynahinch. It also claimed to have left bombs at five pubs in Belfast and a pub and hotel in Ballycastle.
• 30 Aug: The RHD claimed responsibility for shooting a man in Coalisland.
• 05 Sep: The RHD claimed responsibility for throwing a blast bomb at a group of Catholic schoolchildren as they walked to Holy Cross Primary School on Ardoyne Road, Belfast. Local loyalists had been protesting outside the school for the past three days. Four RUC officers and a civilian were injured. The next day, it was announced that the RHD had threatened to kill the parents if they tried to bring their children to the school. See Holy Cross dispute for more information.
• 15 Sep: The RHD claimed responsibility for firing shots at a Catholic taxi driver as he drove through Parkmount Terrace, Belfast. The shots hit the car but missed the driver.
• 28 Sep: The RHD claimed responsibility for shooting dead Catholic journalist Martin O'Hagan as he walked near his home in Lurgan. He worked for the Sunday World newspaper. The RUC Chief Constable said he believed that it was carried-out by members of the LVF, which was then on ceasefire. O'Hagan had written stories about LVF activities and had been threatened by loyalists a number of times. The RHD statement said that he had been killed "for crimes against the loyalist people".
• 01 Oct: The RHD claimed responsibility for planting a bomb outside the home of republican Eddie Copeland in Ardoyne, Belfast.
• 03 Dec: The RHD claimed responsibility for shooting dead a Catholic civilian as he sat in a car on Upper Crumlin Road, Belfast.
• 12 Dec: The RHD claimed responsibility for shooting dead former UDA member William Stobie outside his home on Forthriver Road, Belfast. It claimed he was an informer.
• 18 Dec: The RHD claimed responsibility for attempting to shoot a Catholic man at Brompton Park, Belfast. He ran off before the gun could be fired. He had recently been warned that his name was on a loyalist death list.