The Road to Balcombe Street: The IRA Reign of Terror in London

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The stand-off began when the men stormed the Matthews' flat as they fled from police after a shooting incident in Mayfair. It was during the Balcombe Street siege that fingerprints from Ireland confirmed his identity. His father, who said he had not heard from his son for two years before the siege, described him as "a nice quiet boy at home who never gave us any trouble". The unit was, ironically, modelled on the British army unit, the SAS. The training they received produced a team which was so closely integrated that police experts at the time of the trial said they believed it unlikely that another such unit could ever be recruited. The IRA's Balcombe Street gang, who are being freed from jail, have been serving life sentences after carrying out a two-year bombing and murder campaign in Britain.

Bowcott, Owen (20 October 1989). "Eyewitness - Justice blind becomes justice embarrassed". The Guardian. One reporter who was covering the events for radio was Jon Snow, now a Channel 4 newsreader. “I think we all fell victim to Balcombe Street fever,” he recalled.The members of the Balcombe Street Gang's ASU were Hugh Doherty, Joseph O'Connell, Eddie Butler and Harry Duggan (these four were captured at the Balcombe Street Siege). Liam Quinn (a US-born member) and Brendan Dowd were also active within the unit.

The driver could no longer see where he was going and stopped the car. Police later found a holdall in the car containing two sub-machine guns, a Sten gun barrel and a clip of ammunition. Moysey remains sceptical about Sir Ian's description of his role in the pursuit, pointing out that according to witnesses it was not a high-speed chase. In his book he reports that the driver of the taxi commandeered by Mr Purnell and Mr McVeigh later told BBC radio news that the IRA vehicle had not been driven erratically as he tailed it: "He wasn't going mad, this car ... he wasn't causing any attraction to himself." Mr Purnell yesterday told the Guardian that he and Mr McVeigh followed the IRA car at normal speed. In 1976, Imbert left the Met and became Assistant Chief Constable, and later Deputy Chief Constable of Surrey Constabulary. In 1979, he became Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police, the youngest Chief Constable in the country at that time.It was an initiative that was to cost McWhirter his life. On the evening of November 28, 1975, he was shot dead on the doorstep of his north London home. It seemed the IRA cell could strike at will, prompting the police into urgent action.