# How the SAS tracked a notorious IRA sniper to a secluded thorn bush

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/how-the-sas-tracked-a-notorious-ira-sniper-to-a-secluded-thorn-bush/
- Published: 2026-11-02T08:15:12+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-02T09:55:35+00:00
- Original publisher: The Independent (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/ira-sniper-sas-northern-ireland-peace-b3063697.html
- Topics: Americas, Politics, World

## Key points

- The SAS captured Bernard McGinn in 1997.
- He was found hiding under a thorn bush.
- His arrest came during sensitive peace negotiations.

## Summary

The SAS captured IRA sniper Bernard McGinn in 1997 after a months-long search, in an operation planned to take him alive. The arrest mattered because it took place during sensitive peace negotiations, when a violent confrontation could have jeopardised efforts to end the Troubles.

A commander identified as Tom said the SAS approached a farm complex near Crossmaglen in daylight, with support from surveillance teams and specialist police. McGinn fled about 200 metres before hiding under a thorn bush, where pursuers found him; he was later sentenced to 490 years for multiple offences, including three murders. The article also recounts a former intelligence operator’s account of a separate alleged IRA plot involving ten truck bombs, which security services disrupted.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.