  operation flavius (also referred to as the "gibraltar killings") was a controversial military operation in which three members of the provisional irish republican army (ira) were shot dead by the british special air service (sas) in gibraltar on 6 march 1988. the threeâseÃ¡n savage, daniel mccann, and mairÃ©ad farrellâwere believed to be mounting a bombing attack on british military personnel in gibraltar. sas soldiers challenged them in the forecourt of a petrol station, then opened fire, killing them. all three were found to be unarmed, and no bomb was discovered in savage's car, leading to accusations that the british government had conspired to murder them. an inquest in gibraltar ruled that the sas had acted lawfully, while the european court of human rights held that, although there had been no conspiracy, the planning and control of the operation was so flawed as to make the use of lethal force almost inevitable. the deaths were the first in a chain of violent events in a fourteen-day period; they were followed by the milltown cemetery attack and the corporals killings in belfast. from late 1987, the british authorities were aware that the ira was planning to detonate a bomb at the changing of the guard ceremony outside the governor's residence in the british dependent territory of gibraltar. when savage, mccann and farrellâknown ira membersâtravelled to spain in preparation for the attack, they were tracked at the request of the british government. on the day of the shootings, savage was seen parking a white renault in the 
British_Army_in_Operation_Banner Conflicts_in_1988 Military_actions_and_engagements_during_the_Troubles_(Northern_Ireland) Military_of_Gibraltar Operations_involving_British_special_forces Provisional_Irish_Republican_Army_actions Royal_Anglian_Regiment Special_Air_Service The_Troubles_(Northern_Ireland)