Seán Savage (Irish: Seán Sabhaois) (b. 26 January 1965, Belfast, Northern Ireland - d. 6 March 1988, Gibraltar) was a volunteer of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) who was killed by members of the British Special Air Service (SAS) in Operation Flavius.
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Early life
Born to a republican family in the Kashmir area of Belfast, Savage was educated at primary level at St. Gall's Primary School and later at St. Paul's Secondary on the Falls Road area of West Belfast. A devout Roman Catholic, Savage abstained from drinking or smoking and joined the Provisional Irish Republican Army at the age of 17.
Active service
In 1988 Savage, along with Mairead Farrell and Daniel McCann were sent to the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar to plant a bomb in the town area targeting the British military band which paraded weekly in connection with the changing of the guard in front of the Governors residence (see Operation Flavius). Savage was shot dead, along with Farrell and McCann, by the SAS whilst walking unarmed towards the frontier with Spain, at the Winston Churchill Avenue Shell filling station. Several witnesses to the shooting allege that Farrell and McCann were both shot while attempting to surrender and while lying wounded on the ground.[1] Savage was shot 16 to 18 times by the SAS, the soldier in question was asked why he had shot this many shots, his answer was "thats all that was in the magazine". No radio or other detonating device were found on the bodies, nor was there any bomb in the car in Gibraltar which had been identified as belonging to the bombing team.[2] A car used by the bombers was found two days after the killings containing 140lb of Semtex with a device timed to go off during the changing of the guard.[3] The New York Times (13 June 1989) stated: Events leading up to the Gibraltar killings are depicted in a reconstruction made for a British television documentary, Death on the Rock.[4]
Funeral
At the funeral of the 'Gibraltar Three', three mourners (including one IRA member) were killed in a gun and grenade attack by loyalist Michael Stone in what became known as the "Milltown Massacre".
References
- ^ ECHR Ruling on the killings
- ^ Para 93 and 96 of the ECHR Ruling
- ^ IRA gang shot dead in GibraltarBBC website
- ^ [1]). The documentary reportedly concluded that there was evidence of [governmental] "disinformation" [2]
See also
- Mairéad Farrell
- Daniel McCann
- Death on the Rock; documentary about the shootings
Bibliography and further reading
- Death on the Rock - documentary about the shootings.
- Murder on the Rock - book about the shootings.
- Relatives for Justice Site.
- Summary and full judgement by the ECHR
- Adams, G, Hope and History: Making Peace in Ireland, Brandon Books, 2003. ISBN 0863223303
- New York Times (June 13, 1989) review of the Frontline documentary, Death of a Terrorist
