FBI Documents Reveal Assassination Threat Against Queen Elizabeth II during 1983 US Visit

FBI Concerned about IRA Threats during Late Queen’s Travels

Newly released FBI documents have shed light on a potential assassination threat faced by Queen Elizabeth II during her 1983 visit to the United States. The files, released following the Queen’s death last year, provide insights into the concerns of the Federal Bureau of Investigation regarding the monarch’s safety during her visits, particularly in relation to threats from the Irish Republican Army (IRA).

IRA Threat Unveiled by San Francisco Police Officer

According to the documents, the threat came to light when a San Francisco police officer, who frequented an Irish pub, reported a call from an individual he had met at the venue. The man claimed to seek revenge for his daughter’s death in Northern Ireland and expressed intentions to harm Queen Elizabeth II. The officer alerted federal agents about the threat, which included plans to drop an object off the Golden Gate Bridge onto the Royal Yacht Britannia or attempt an attack during the Queen’s visit to Yosemite National Park.

FBI Vigilance and Precautionary Measures

In response to the threat, the Secret Service devised a plan to close the walkways on the Golden Gate Bridge as the yacht approached. While the measures taken at Yosemite National Park remain unclear, the visit proceeded as scheduled. The FBI did not disclose any information regarding arrests related to the threat. The released 102-page cache of documents, uploaded to the FBI’s information website, the Vault, on Monday, followed a Freedom of Information Act request from US media outlets.

The Troubles in Northern Ireland, a period of intense conflict, coincided with several of Queen Elizabeth II’s state visits to the US, including her 1983 visit to the West Coast. The FBI files highlight the heightened tensions during these visits. In a separate incident during America’s Bicentennial celebrations in 1976, the FBI documented a small plane flying over Battery Park in New York City, carrying a sign that read “England, Get out of Ireland.”

The released documents demonstrate the FBI’s ongoing vigilance and recognition of the genuine potential threats faced by the late Queen. The IRA’s actions, such as the bombing that claimed the life of her second cousin, Lord Mountbatten, in 1979 off the coast of County Sligo, Republic of Ireland, underscored the need for heightened security measures during her travels.