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

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.