Spectre of terrorism stalked the European stage

THE spectre of international terrorism stalked Europe during the late 1970s with far-left groups such as the German Baader-Meinhof gang (later the Red Army Faction) and Italian Red Brigades the focus of cross border security operations.

But a renewed push, led by France, for a quick extradition system between EEC member states left Ireland diplomatically isolated during 1978. The government was intent on negotiating an opt-out so they would not be forced to hand over republican suspects to Britain.

The Irish ambassador in Paris, in a December 17, 1977, letter to foreign affairs, linked increased pressure on Ireland to sign up to the European convention on the suppression of terrorism to the hasty extradition of Klaus Croissant, a lawyer and associate of the Baader Meinhof gang, from France to West Germany.