MI5 Sent ‘Spotify-Style’ Video To Suspected New IRA Members Months Before Recent Attacks

MI5 Sent ‘Spotify-Style’ Video To Suspected New IRA Members Months Before Recent Attacks

MI5 sent a “Spotify Wrapped”-style video to individuals suspected of involvement in the New IRA earlier this year, in a targeted effort to discourage continued activity.

The video, which is understood to have been distributed around January, has only now emerged publicly following reporting on the initiative.

It features a montage of newspaper coverage, including Sunday Life articles, highlighting dissident republican activity over the past year, including bomb attacks, criminal convictions, internal disputes, and organised crime linked to the group.

The messaging is designed to prompt reflection, asking recipients whether such actions represent what they want “done in their name” and suggesting there are alternative paths away from involvement.

The approach forms part of a broader strategy by MI5 to reduce support for dissident groups through direct engagement, alongside traditional counter-terrorism methods such as surveillance and arrests.

The timing of the campaign is significant.

It predates two recent incidents in Northern Ireland/The North involving similar methods.

In March, an attempted proxy bomb attack in Lurgan saw a delivery driver forced at gunpoint to transport a viable explosive device to a police station. The device did not detonate, and the New IRA later claimed responsibility.

In April, a car bomb exploded outside a PSNI station in Dunmurry after a hijacked vehicle was used to deliver a gas cylinder device. The explosion occurred as residents were being evacuated. No injuries were reported.

Police have said there are strong similarities between the two attacks and have indicated their working assessment that both may be linked to the New IRA, although no formal claim has been made for the Dunmurry incident.

The emergence of the MI5 campaign alongside these incidents highlights how security services are attempting to address both the operational and support networks behind dissident activity.

In Northern Ireland/The North, the threat level remains “substantial”, meaning an attack is considered likely.

The use of proxy devices in recent incidents has reinforced concerns around the continued capability of dissident groups to carry out attacks that place civilians at risk.

While the effectiveness of the video campaign is not known, it reflects a shift toward combining traditional security measures with targeted psychological messaging.

The development underlines how both past and present activity are shaping the current security response in Northern Ireland/The North.

SOURCE: BelfastTelegraph