Scottish National Liberation Army

The Scottish National Liberation Army (SNLA) is a militant group, with aims to bring about Scottish independence. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7209203.stm Two jailed for vodka poison plot] ] . The SNLA has been a proscribed organisation by the government in the United Kingdom. [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2090-2351365,00.html SNLA threat to poison water supply] by Mark Macaskill and Jason Allardyce, "The Sunday Times Scotland", 10 September 2006] .

Foundation

The group has been reported to have been founded by Irish republican Adam Busby, a former soldier from Paisley, Scotland, after the 1979 devolution referendum, which the organisation claimed was fixed. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1850234.stm Who are the 'tartan terrorists'?] BBC News Website, 2 March 2002] There have been claims that the SNLA are a false flag organisation, designed to blacken the name of Scottish independence. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/1850800.stm 'Sad individuals' behind toxic mail] BBC News Website, 2 March 2002] [cite web | url=http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4156/is_20050821/ai_n14915947 | title=Government SNP files sealed for 50 years | work =Sunday Herald, 21 August, 2005]

Activity

In January 2008 two men, Wayne Cook and Steven Robinson were convicted in Manchester of sending miniature bottles of vodka contaminated with caustic soda and threatened to kill English people 'with no hesitation or compunction' by poisoning the country's water supply, echoing a previous threat in 2006. The accompanying letters were signed 'SNLA'. Cook Robinson were each sentenced to 6 years for these offences.

The previously most high profile act occurred in 1983 when letter bombs were sent to Lady Diana Spencer and to the Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. The device sent to Thatcher was active and was opened by parliamentarian Robert Key: there was no explosion. Busby fled to Dublin in 1983 after the letter-bombing campaign; he was jailed in connection with that campaign in 1997.

In 1993, Andrew McIntosh was jailed for 12 years for conspiring to coerce the government into setting up a separate government in Scotland. The High Court in Aberdeen heard McIntosh had masterminded a campaign of disruption and fear which included placing bombs outside oil industry offices and sending letter bombs to the Scottish Office in Edinburgh. McIntosh served six years and was released in 1999. He died in 2004 after being arrested on firearms charges. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/3752812.stm Firearms charge man dies in jail] BBC News Website, 18 October 2004]

In 2002 Cherie Blair became a target of a renewed campaign by the SNLA when she was sent an anonymous parcel containing a vial that was crudely labelled as containing 'Massage Oil', but which on investigation actually proved to contain caustic acid. In addition to this attempted attack a renewed letter bomb campaign was waged against Scottish politicians the same year. The parcels were recovered after a man claiming to be from the Scottish National Liberation Army made an anonymous phone call to Scotland Yard. Professor Paul Wilkinson, opined at the time: "The SNLA has surfaced from time to time. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1850111.stm Politicians on alert over mail scare] BBC News Website, 2 March 2002] Meanwhile, Busby may be targeted for extradition to America to face terror charges following a series of e-mails to America about how to contaminate US water supplies.

In February 2007, SNLA involvement was claimed in the fatal Grayrigg derailment of a Virgin train travelling from London to Glasgow. A points failure was later found to be responsible. [cite news
last = Jacobs
first = Bill
coauthors =
title = Second train 'minutes away' from hitting crash wreckage
work = Edinburgh Evening News
pages =
publisher = Scotsman Newspapers
date = 2007-02-27
url = http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/uk.cfm?id=303762007
accessdate = 2007-03-22 ]

Associated organisations

The Scottish Separatist Group (SSG) has been described as the political wing of the SNLA. The SSG was formed in 1995 by former members and supporters of the SNLA. Both groups want to reverse English immigration into Scotland and restore Gaelic as the country’s national language.

References

External links

* [http://animalliberationfront.com/Saints/Authors/Novels/StoryofSNLA.htm The Story of the SNLA] - Inactive as of 07/01/2008
* [http://www.saoralba.org/shop The Story of the SNLA paperback] - Inactive as of 07/01/2008
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7175015.stm Vodka poisoned in 'Terror Plot' - BBC 7th Jan 08]