The Violent Dissident Republican Threat

If they can, the New IRA will try to escalate their campaign of violence to as much as is practically possible. The killing of Lyra McKee provided a temporary check as the group looked to weather a public back-lash to the journalist’s murder. The discovery of a car bomb targeting an off-duty police officer in early June illustrates this though was a short-lived respite. Heavy investment in intelligence operations has played a major role in limiting VDR activity over the last ten years. Whether the New IRA can exploit tensions around Brexit to build momentum for an escalated campaign of violence remains to be seen.