Real IRA behind attack on SDLP councillor’s house

THE Real IRA was behind a gun attack on a former SDLP councillor’s house in Derry, it emerged today.

The dissident republican group showered Liam Bradley’s Brandywell home in glass after a bullet was fired through the front door yesterday. His son James is a police officer.

The round entered the hallway but Mr Bradley, in his 60s, and his wife Marie were upstairs and were unhurt.

SDLP leader Mark Durkan said dissidents had targeted the former Derry City councillor before.

“They are not showing themselves to be big or strong,” he said.

“They are showing themselves to be weak and cowardly whenever they pick on easy targets like this.”

There have been several dissident republican attacks in Derry, including on former Policing Board deputy chairman Denis Bradley and SDLP Assemblyman Pat Ramsey.

Liam Bradley, whose son doesn’t live at home, was a councillor from the 1970sto the late 1980s and served as deputy mayor.

He is semi-retired, but drives a private bus.

The former representative has had graffiti scrawled on his property before and Mr Durkan said that there had been an explosive device left in the past.

“It think the Real IRA used a recognised code word in claiming responsibility to the Derry Journal,” he said. A PSNI spokesperson confirmed Thursday’s incident had taken place.

She said: “All lines of inquiry are still open.”