The Scottish National Liberation Army (SNLA), often nicknamed the Tartan Terrorists, is a Scottish nationalist paramilitary group which aims to bring about Scottish independence from the United Kingdom. The group was founded in 1980 by Adam Busby, a former soldier from Paisley, after the 1979 Scottish devolution referendum, which the organisation claims was fixed. The group's activities primarily involved sending letter bombs to UK government officials, carrying out arson attacks, and making numerous hoax threats of violence, before declaring a ceasefire in 2012, to allow debates leading up to the 2014 Scottish independence referendum to take place.
History
Formation The SNLA was founded in 1980 by Adam Busby, a former soldier who served in the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.Who are the 'tartan terrorists'? BBC News Website, 2 March 2002 Busby was also a founding member of the Scottish Republican Socialist Party, and a former member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), having joined the Dumbarton chapter on his 16th birthday. The SNLA was formed in the wake of the 1979 Scottish devolution referendum. This referendum had resulted in a majority of voters (51.6%) supporting the establishment of a devolved parliament in Scotland, but as there was only a 64% voter turnout, the Yes vote represented only 32.9% of registered voters. This did not meet the requirement for at least 40% of voters voting in favour, per the Scotland Act 1978, so the devolved parliament was not established. Busby felt that this outcome called for a more forceful approach towards achieving independence, on the grounds that there was "no constitutional way forward".
Activity
1980s The first wave of actions attributed to the group emerged on 1 March 1982, in which several bomb threats were made in Edinburgh, though the group did not claim responsibility until a letter was sent to the Press Association in November. On 17 March, a letter bomb was sent to the House of Commons addressed to John Nott, the then-Secretary of State for Defence. A man had telephoned the Glasgow offices of The Scotsman, claiming that a bomb had been sent to Nott by the SNLA in response to the newly announced changes to the UK's Trident programme. The bomb subsequently arrived at the House of Commons on 17 March, and was reported after being discovered by a Ministry of Defence member. The device was initially thought by the media to have been the work of Irish republican paramilitaries, such as the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), as it coincidentally arrived at the commons on St. Patrick's Day. To coincide with the 1982 Glasgow Hillhead by-election the following week, two further letter bombs were sent to two separate Scottish Social Democratic Party offices in Edinburgh and Glasgow; both devices were subsequently defused by the authorities upon discovery by office staff. The group later claimed responsibility for a letter bomb that was posted to Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace, along with two further letter bombs sent to Conservative party offices in Edinburgh and London, and an incendiary device that was reportedly planted in the Scottish Assembly building. Scotland Yard claimed no such device had arrived at Buckingham Palace, and purported that the London Conservative Party office had been sent a hoax package, not a letter bomb. On 8 November, the SNLA claimed responsibility for a firebomb attack at a Conservative Party office in Glasgow. On 24 November, the Glasgow offices of the Press Association reported that it had received a written letter from the group, claiming responsibility for a letter bomb that was sent to then-Secretary of State for Industry Patrick Jenkin, stating, "SNLA will avenge the workers in Craigneuk." This was a response to a proposal made by the British Steel Corporation to partially close a steel mill in Craigneuk, North Lanarkshire, costing 427 jobs. The letter bomb was discovered by Jenkin's secretary, and was later defused by police. A spokesman for Scotland Yard said, "There is no doubt this could have killed someone. It was similar to others sent to politicians in the past." Following this incident, security was tightened for an upcoming visit to Edinburgh from then-prime minister Margaret Thatcher, who was due to attend a private dinner taking place in the Assembly Rooms in celebration of the centenary of the Scottish Conservatives.
In 1983, the group reportedly carried out 27 attacks, which primarily involved sending letter bombs to public figures including Diana, Princess of Wales, and Margaret Thatcher. In February the group sent a letter bomb to then-Lord Provost of Glasgow Michael Kelly at the Glasgow City Chambers, where Diana was due to visit. The letter ignited after being opened by Kelly's secretary, Eric Hamilton. Hamilton sustained only minor injuries and rejected hospital treatment, opting instead to join Kelly in welcoming Diana. In April, another letter bomb was sent by the group to a hotel located in South Mimms, where Thatcher was due to attend a Conservative Party Conference. The device was discovered by Salisbury MP candidate Robert Key, who called the police, leading to the device's defusal. A spokesman for Scotland Yard claimed the device could not have detonated, stating: "The incendiary device was contained in a small jiffy bag. It consisted of lighter fuel." The SNLA also sent a letter to the London offices of the Press Association, claiming responsibility for the device sent to the hotel, stating it was "in retaliation for cuts in Scots industry." In June, the group posted a letter bomb to the Conservative Central Office, addressed to then-Conservative Party chairman Cecil Parkinson. The letter partially ignited after being opened by his secretary, who was unharmed. The group claimed responsibility in a Glasgow-postmarked letter sent to the Press Association, which stated "Scottish National Liberation Army claims the London letter bomb attacks of 3–4 June." A spokesperson for Scotland Yard described the device as "a viable device containing substances which could ignite and cause serious injury." In response to the incident, Commander William Hucklesby, the then-head of Scotland Yard's anti-terror branch subsequently issued a warning to mail workers to be vigilant of any suspicious packages. In August, a letter bomb was sent by the group to the manager of Cardowan Colliery; the device did not explode. The day before, the group sent a letter to the Press Association which stated "SNLA attacks on 19/20. No more cuts," in response to a decision made by the National Coal Board to close the colliery. In September, another letter bomb was sent to then-Secretary of State for Employment Norman Tebbit, which ignited after being opened in the Westminster offices of the Department of Employment by a 19-year-old civil servant. The device contained a written letter, which although largely destroyed by the explosion, was found to bear 'SNLA' on the remains. The same day, a letter bomb was posted to then-Secretary of State for Scotland George Younger, which failed to ignite. Around this time, Busby, along with another organisation member, David Dinsmore, fled to Dublin to evade prosecution for conspiracy against the UK government, with Busby facing further charges for scrawling anti-British slogans on a Royal Navy truck in Berwick-upon-Tweed. Shortly afterwards, Dinsmore was reportedly facing a criminal charge for sending a letter bomb to the Earl of Mansfield at Scone Palace in Perth. Following Busby and Dinsmore's retreat, a separate cell for the organisation was set up in Dublin, which continued to exist for over 20 years. In October, the group claimed responsibility for another letter bomb addressed to then-Employment Secretary Tom King at the House of Commons, which had been intercepted in Glasgow. The group sent a note to the Press Association claiming responsibility for the device, warning that "SNLA attacks take place now. More will follow." Special Branch officers described the device as "crude, but viable." In December, an anonymous caller claiming to represent the group phoned the Press Association claiming the group was responsible for an explosion that occurred at the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich, South East London on 11 December, which injured four soldiers, along with a bystander, stating "more will follow". Scotland Yard were sceptical of this claim, however, and believed the attack was more likely to have been carried out by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), as the scale of the attack did not match previous attacks carried out by the SNLA, and also due to Thomas Quigley, who was actively involved in simultaneous attacks carried out by the Provisional IRA, being charged with conspiracy to carry out bomb attacks in England the previous week. In October, the SNLA had sent a letter to police stating their intention to carry out a mass bombing campaign in London along with other major towns and cities throughout England. The IRA initially did not claim responsibility for the bombing, and Scotland Yard believed that the SNLA were behind the attack, however, a spokesman for the IRA later claimed the group were responsible for the attack, and no involvement from the SNLA was mentioned. Following this attack, it was determined that the SNLA may have had links to the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA), who threatened to carry out a similar bombing campaign around the same time. Under the orders of Commander William Hucklesby, police in London were instructed to prepare for the possibility a dual threat of bomb attacks from both groups over the Christmas period.