Thomas McMahon

Who is Thomas McMahon?

Thomas McMahon is a former volunteer in the South Armagh Brigade of the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and was one of the IRA's most experienced bomb-makers.

McMahon was convicted of the assassination of Admiral of the Fleet Lord Mountbatten of Burma and three others at Mullaghmore, County Sligo, in the west of Ireland.

He planted a bomb in Shadow V, a 27 ft fishing boat belonging to Mountbatten at Mullaghmore, County Sligo, near Donegal Bay. Lord Mountbatten was killed in the bomb blast along with three other people; The Dowager Baroness Brabourne, Mountbatten's elder daughter's mother-in-law; his grandson Nicholas Knatchbull; and a 15 year old crewmember Paul Maxwell.

The IRA claimed responsibility for the act in a statement released immediately afterwards. In the statement from the organisation they said: "This operation is one of the discriminate ways we can bring to the attention of the English people the continuing occupation of our country."

McMahon was arrested by the Garda two hours before the bomb detonated, having been initially stopped on suspicion of driving a stolen vehicle.