Kingsmill massacre

The Kingsmill Massacre was a shooting that happened on January 5th, 1976 near Whitecross in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. Gunmen from a breakaway group of the Provisional IRA stopped a minibus carrying Protestant workmen, lined them against the van and shot them dead. 11 men were shot, 10 of which died; 1 of the victims survived, despite being shot 18 times. One Catholic man on the minibus was allowed to leave without incident.^[1] A group called the South Armagh Republican Action Force (often shortened to simply Republican Action Force) claimed responsibility, saying that the massacre was revenge for the Reavey and O'Dowd killings by Loyalist gunmen the night before. The area the massacre happened in was known for frequent revenge murders during the Troubles.

A 2011 Historical Enquiries Team (HET) report concluded that members of the Provisional IRA committed the Kingsmill Massacre, despite the group being on ceasefire at that time. The workmen were targeted, partly because of the Loyalist murders the night before and partly because they were Protestants.

After the massacre, the British government declared County Armagh as a "Special Emergency Area". Hundreds of extra soldiers and armed police were deployed in the area. The SAS was also deployed into the county.

1. ↑ "1976: Ten dead in Northern Ireland ambush". 1976-01-05. Retrieved 2024-03-03.