Its strategy now is to seek publicity rather than mayhem. Three weeks ago it hit an Ulster police station parking lot with a mortar. In July it disrupted London traffic during the Queen Mother's official birthday by planting a bomb near a train line. In June it damaged Hammersmith Bridge in London with an explosion. Other attacks have failed because the bombs did not detonate or the police detected them.
Senior officers warn that the group's capabilities are growing.
The World Is Not Enough has made it famous around the world. The cinema version of the building gets a big hole in its side from a terrorist bomb. Perhaps one of the Real I.R.A.'s commanders is a movie buff with a macabre sense of humor. 2001 Time Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.