Newly disclosed Double have revealed that Queen Elizabeth II faced a potential assassination risk during her go to to the United States in 1983. The information, which were launched following the monarch’s passing final 12 months, detail the FBI’s concerns about attainable IRA threats throughout her travels. The specific risk was made to a police officer in San Francisco, who informed federal agents about a man in search of revenge for his daughter’s dying in Northern Ireland.
According to the paperwork, the threat was made on February 4, 1983, just over a month ahead of the Queen and Prince Philip’s go to to California. The man planned to hurt the Queen both by dropping an object onto the Royal Yacht Britannia from the Golden Gate Bridge or by making an attempt to kill her throughout a go to to Yosemite National Park.
In response, the Secret Service planned to shut the walkways on the Golden Gate Bridge as the yacht approached. It remains unclear what safety measures had been taken at Yosemite, however the visit proceeded with out incident reported BBC News.
The files additionally reveal the FBI’s ongoing vigilance relating to potential threats to the late Queen throughout her visits to the US, notably within the context of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. For instance, during a private journey to Kentucky in 1989, an inner FBI memo famous the ever-present risk of threats from the Irish Republican Army (IRA).
In 1991, throughout a state go to that included attending a Baltimore Orioles baseball recreation with President George H. Bush, the FBI warned the Secret Service about deliberate protests by Irish groups at the stadium. The bureau has indicated that there may be further records associated to the late Queen’s visits to the US, but no timeline for his or her release has been provided..