SAOIRSE32

Belfast Telegraph

Man blown up by Libyan-made IRA bomb tells of his multi-billion dollar law suit

By Lesley-Anne Henry
29 November 2006

The man leading a landmark legal case against Colonel Gadaffi over his IRA links has revealed how he rubbed shoulders with the dictator’s entourage months before being blown up in London - by a Libyan-supplied bomb.

In an exclusive interview with the Belfast Telegraph, Mark McDonald said he encountered Gadaffi’s “circus-like” troupe in a Tunisian hotel early in 1983 - just months before he was badly injured in the Harrods car bomb attack of December 1983.

Mr McDonald (51) who is fronting the legal case McDonald et al v Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahirya (Libya), said he was unimpressed by the charade.

“He was travelling through, presumably to the Tunis area.

“At that time the headquarters of the PLO was in Carthage and there were a variety of Arab world meetings taking place in Tunisia, often private meetings.

“The Cuban women carried their machine guns pointed level, all a bit of a show.

“It was hard to think of it as anything but a bit of a circus act.

“I did not actually see Gadaffi, just his troupe, this relating to where I was standing in the hallway as he went through,” he said.

Mr McDonald (51) is among 170 victims of IRA violence who are pursuing the case in Washington, which if successful, could smooth the way for as many as 6,000 other Ulster victims to receive compensation.

Their complaint accuses Libya of supplying the IRA with millions of dollars, weapons, Semtex, training and other assistance from 1972 onwards.

Mr McDonald, who currently lives in Colorado, suffered serious injuries and spent 10 weeks in hospital after the Harrods bombing of 1983.

He underwent 10 operations in the weeks immediately after the bomb to remove the many pieces of shrapnel lodged in his body.

Large pieces are still embedded in his left hip and shoulder 23 years on.

He lost about 80% of his left hamstring as well as muscle and bone from his left hip and shoulder.

His vision was impaired as a result of blood loss and his eardrums were blown.

It took him several years to be able to walk properly.

Now, however, the oceanographic researcher is fighting fit and is “honoured” to be the leading plaintiff in the multi-billion dollar law suit.

“I certainly never anticipated filing legal action against Colonel Gadaffi.

“I have been very impressed by the attorneys and others I’ve met who are working on this case, thus I am honoured to be the lead plaintiff and I take the responsibility seriously.

“I am confident I can do a good job, with the help of the many others involved in the case,” he said.

“Joining the case was an easy decision, as I find the case is an opportunity to fight terrorism in one more, relatively new, arena,” he said.

The case, which started in March, is expected to be lengthy - the translation and issuing of writs to Gadaffi and senior members of Libyan intelligence took a whole month.

Mr McDonald said he hasn’t been frustrated.

“I never expected such a case would come out of the bombing, and I moved on with my life relatively soon after the bombing, putting it behind me as much as possible.

“From the onset of this case we knew it would be a long process. I have not allowed myself to look too far into the future in this regard.

“What will I do when the case is over?

“As I said earlier, I’ve moved on with my life and while I am very interested in the case and will give it whatever time necessary, it is not now changing my life greatly nor do I expect it to do so in the future.

“If I do receive financial remuneration I might start off by using the money to get a particularly bothersome piece of shrapnel removed from my shoulder.

“Hopefully there is enough left over to start a retirement fund,” he concluded.