On Wednesday 20 September 2000 shortly before 10 pm, the Real Irish Republican Army attacked MI6 SIS Building headquarters in Vauxhall. Using a Russian-built RPG-22 anti-tank rocket, they fired from Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens and struck the south side of the eighth floor, causing superficial damage.
Although there were no fatalities or injuries the attempt brought major disruption to the area as police threw a 500-metre cordon around the building and began an inch-by-inch search for clues. Roads around the building in Vauxhall were closed for much of the day and rail services, including Eurostar, were badly disrupted. Part of the Northern Line in the Underground was shut after a security alert as the area was sealed off to all but the emergency services.
Police recovered a discarded launcher at Spring Gardens, as well as finding remains of the missile which exploded against a set of eighth-floor windows.
The buildings design features minimised the damage and impact of the missile. Only a shattered eighth-floor window was visible. Just metres below were sensitive satellite equipment on the building’s roof which could have been the main target.
I have spoken to the Chief of SIS, Richard Dearlove. He has confirmed there was no damage inside the Vauxhall Cross building. I asked him to commend SIS staff for maintaining business as usual. If the intention of the attackers was to disrupt SIS’s operations, they have failed in their objective.
Foreign Secretary Robin Cook
This was an alarming new development in tactics. The appearance of the RPGs on the mainland brought a new dimension to the terrorist threat. The use of these weapons presented less risk to the terrorists than planting bombs and allows attacks from longer ranges, and over obstacles. It was an attack designed not to create casualties, it was an attack for effect.
A new type of weapon
The attack on the headquarters of MI6 was carried out with a weapon never used before in either Northern Ireland or the British mainland
The RPG-22 launcher is just 785mm long when carried, weighs 2.8kg and takes about 10 seconds to prepare and fire. It has an outer glass fibre tube and a simple pop-up sight, with a manual calibration of the target range, making it relatively easy to use. It fires a fin-stabilised HEAT rocket of 72.5 calibres.
A most undesirable piece of equipment in the hands of terrorist groups.
It is a lethal extension of their capabilities. It is a battlefield weapon. It is designed to go through tanks, and therefore it is fairly impressive against metal, and it will go through about one metre of concrete. It will go through most buildings.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Alan Fry, head of Scotland Yard’s anti-terrorist branch
The Story of the Attack
The following documentary – reconstructs the events on that evening and uncovers how the Real IRA and Continuity IRA joined forces to smuggle guns, rocket launchers and explosives from war-torn Bosnia to further a bombing campaign in London and Northern Ireland. It includes news coverage from the event.
