This was about the fifth such bank raid in Northern Ireland in the last couple of years. Most have been blamed, until now, not on the mainstream IRA, but on "dissident" Republicans. The two governments played these down, not wanting to upset the poitical process, thus "massaging the egos of the terrorists", as one commentator has put it. However, the scale of the Northern raid made it not brushable under the carpet, and so both governments have decided to take the initiative.

The worst aspect of the raids is the holding of family members of bank officials at gunpoint for 24, or more, hours by men in space suits. Meantime the employee is sent off to work and told to bring back the money or his family members will be killed.