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Danielle Carter

Age: 15

Sex: female

Date: 10 Apr 1992

Place: Baltic Exchange, 24-28 St Mary Axe, London

Paul Butt, Thomas Casey and Danielle Carter were killed by an IRA bomb at the Baltic Exchange in London on 10 April 1992.

The attack was carried out by the Provisional IRA using one-ton of fertiliser and 45kg of Semtex which was used as the detonating cord. The bomb had been hidden in a van that was then left in the street.

The Semtex was noted as having been supplied by Libya.

The van that was used was described as a white and pale blue Ford Luton van, registration EMH 757V.

91 other people were also injured in the attack.

Paul Butt had been walking along the street at the time the bomb went off. He was cremated at Corbetts Tey Crematorium in Essex on Thursday 16 August 1992. He had come from Greys in Essex.

Thomas Casey had been a Baltic Exchange attendant and doorman.

Danielle Carter had been waiting in a car out in the street with her sister and her sister’s friend. The friend lost the use of an eye in the blast.

The IRA claimed that the bomb was a message to the Conservative Government who had just won the general election the day before. John Major, who was elected Prime Minister, had refused to enter into open talks with Sinn Féin until the IRA declared a ceasefire, and it was said that the lack of progress with political talks had caused the IRA to renew their bombing campaign.

The general election had also resulted in Gerry Adams of Sinn Féin losing his seat in Parliament, being replaced by Joe Hendron of the moderate SDLP in his place.

The bomb went off at 9.20pm and was followed by a second bomb that exploded at 1am on 11 April 1992 at Staples Corner, Hendon, damaging the A406 North Circular flyover above the A5.

The van used in the bomb at Hendon was described as a white Bedford van with registration A185 UYE.

The bomb in St Mary Axe left a massive crater in the road and smashed the windows in hundreds of offices.

On 16 April 1992 a 60-year-old woman and a 36-year-old man were arrested for possessing arms and conspiring to cause explosions, but nothing more is known about them. When they appeared before the magistrates in Stepney they were charged with unlawfully possessing Semtex. They were also charged that on or before 13 April 1992 that they had conspired together and with others to cause explosions likely to cause injury to life or serious injury to property. They were also charged with having six automatic assault rifles. The man was also charged with having caused an explosion at Bridle Lane in Sogo on 6 April 1992 and with possession of a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver with intent to resist arrest.

In August 1992 five people were arrested after an Irishman bought a transit van for cash. The car dealer afterwards contacted the police who followed the man and his friends for a number of weeks, after which they carried out a series of raids, recovering two vans, weapons and ammunition, up to two tons of fertiliser and a small amount of Semtex.. The raids led the security forces to state that they had foiled an IRA summer bombing campaign. It was noted that the men were also to be questioned in relation to the Baltic Exchange bombing, but nothing more is known about that.

Known raids took place in Coopers Walk, Cheshunt and Southall. Weapons found at the Cheshunt property included a Kalashnikov rifle as well as other weapons.

Other IRA bombings in 1992 include:

  • 28 February: London Bridge station.
  • 25 August: Three fire bombings in Shrewsbury.
  • 12 October: Sussex Arms in Covent Garden.
  • 16 November: Canary wharf, however, the bomb failed to go off.
  • 3 December: Two car bombs in Manchester.
  • 10 December: Two bombs went off at Wood Green shopping centre.

The Baltic Exchange building had been at 24-28 St Mary Axe and was later demolished and replaced with The Gherkin, which is at 30 St Mary Axe. The Baltic Exchange was built in 1903 and at the time was the last exchange left in London.


*map pointers are rough estimates based on known location details as per Place field above.

see en.wikipedia.org

see Wikipedia

see Bristol Evening Post - Saturday 11 April 1992

see Daily Mirror - Monday 13 April 1992

see Daily Mirror - Tuesday 14 April 1992

see Daily Mirror - Friday 14 August 1992

see Daily Mirror - Thursday 13 August 1992