IRA Bomb Explodes at London’s National Gallery; No Art Damaged

The Irish Republican Army set off a firebomb Sunday inside the National Gallery, one of the world’s premier art museums, but none of the institution’s priceless paintings were damaged, police reported.

The bomb was set off about 3:30 a.m. in the bookshop of the museum’s new Sainsbury wing, presumably by a timing device, but it did little damage, according to director Neil MacGregor.

The National Gallery was able to open its doors to the public later Sunday, and visitors were able to see the acclaimed Renaissance collection above the bookstore and a special showing of the queen’s pictures in a gallery below the bombing site, which was just off the street entrance hall.

Sunday’s bombing followed three firebomb explosions in department stores in northwest London on Saturday, which caused slight damage but no injuries.

However, the enforced closing of the shopping center resulted in substantial lost business, according to police.

Scotland Yard detectives said the IRA is using teams of young women to plant incendiary bombs in a Christmas-season campaign to disrupt life in the British capital and to damage the economy by disrupting shopping.

In admitting responsibility for the blasts, the IRA declared in Dublin that “active service units” had carried out the London attacks.

“The economic cost of disruption to daily life in Britain will continue to rise as long as the British government and its army continues to occupy part of Ireland’s national territory,” the statement said.

Members of Parliament demanded Sunday that Home Secretary Kenneth Baker crack down on the “scourge and menace” of the IRA terrorists.

“They must be a very, very sick people to attempt an exercise like that,” said Ivor Stanbrook, a Tory Parliament member. “This latest outrage shows the government has got to do far more to crack down on terrorism.

“That means spending a lot more money and devoting a lot more resources to the task of finding out who is responsible and apprehending them.”

Labor Member of Parliament Andrew Faulds, co-chairman of Parliament’s Heritage Committee, said of the National Gallery bombing: “It really is the final outrage. Taking a life is obscene, but damage to historic bits of culture, if that was the aim, is absolutely outrageous.

“They must be very, very sick people to attempt an exercise like that.”