Recent news involving the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) includes a report into a British agent within the IRA not resulting in prosecutions, families seeking clarity on the agent's actions, and a former British soldier, Soldier F, being charged with murder and attempted murder during the Troubles in Belfast over 50 years ago. Additionally, there have been developments in legal cases involving victims of IRA bomb attacks in England, with former Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams facing potential lawsuits in a personal capacity.
The Provisional IRA, also known as the IRA or Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary organization formed in 1969. It sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland and reunify Ireland. The group was involved in a violent conflict known as "The Troubles," which lasted from the late 1960s to the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. The IRA carried out bombings, assassinations, and other attacks during this period. The organization declared ceasefires in 1994 and 1997 and eventually decommissioned its weapons in 2005, effectively ending its armed campaign. The IRA's political wing, Sinn Fein, has since become a major political party in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.