"When police thundered into their London home in 1996 and arrested Michael Gallagher on suspicion of IRA activity, Margaret Attenborough was shocked and indignant. She was an English academic who wrote books on geophysical software and her Scottish partner was a former civil servant who helped homeless alcoholics. The idea of him as an IRA man seemed ludicrous. Gallagher was romantic and cerebral he had wowed Attenborough by completing the Guardian's cryptic crossword in three minutes."
"Attenborough mustered funds and support to proclaim her boyfriend's innocence but Gallagher was convicted of conspiring to cause explosions and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Now, almost three decades later, the two are still a couple and have co-written a book that confirms Gallagher was, in fact, guilty that he was an IRA fixer who facilitated multiple operations, including the Heathrow attack."
Margaret Attenborough was arrested alongside partner Michael Gallagher in London in 1996 on suspicion of IRA involvement, a claim she initially found absurd given his background. Gallagher was charged over helping the IRA launch mortars at Heathrow in 1994; those attacks caused major disruption but no casualties. Gallagher was convicted of conspiring to cause explosions and sentenced to 20 years. He later confessed to Attenborough only after conviction. After release under the Good Friday agreement the couple moved to County Donegal, ran a web development business and later co-wrote a memoir revealing Gallagher's role and deception.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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