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Maze Prison escape

1983 crimes in the United Kingdom1983 in Northern Ireland20th century in County AntrimEscapees from British detentionPrison escapes
Provisional Irish Republican ArmyThe Troubles in County Antrim

The Maze Prison escape (known to Irish republicans as the Great Escape) took place on 25 September 1983 in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. HM Prison Maze (also known as Long Kesh) was a maximum security prison considered to be one of the most escape-proof prisons in Europe. It held prisoners suspected of taking part in armed paramilitary campaigns during the Troubles, with separate wings for loyalists and for republicans. In the biggest prison escape in UK history, 38 Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) prisoners escaped from H-Block 7 (H7) of the prison. One prison officer died of a heart attack during the escape and twenty others were injured, including two who were shot with guns that had been smuggled into the prison. The escape was a propaganda coup for the IRA, and a British government minister faced calls to resign. The official inquiry into the escape placed most of the blame onto prison staff, who in turn blamed the escape on political interference in the running of the prison.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Maze Prison escape (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors).

Maze Prison escape
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N 54.488611111111 ° E -6.1075 °
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Bog Road H5
BT28 2XF
Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
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