Killings of Nick Spanos and Stephen Melrose
Background
Background
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British military personnel had been [stationed in West Germany](/wiki/British_Forces_Germany "British Forces Germany") since the end of the [Second World War](/wiki/Second_World_War "Second World War"). The [Provisional IRA](/wiki/Provisional_IRA "Provisional IRA") had been carrying out attacks in mainland Europe since 1979\. Between 1988 and 1990 it intensified its operations there. On 1 May 1988, three members of the [Royal Air Force](/wiki/Royal_Air_Force "Royal Air Force") (RAF) were killed in [two IRA attacks in the Netherlands](/wiki/1988_IRA_attacks_in_the_Netherlands "1988 IRA attacks in the Netherlands"). One of the attacks took place in [Roermond](/wiki/Roermond "Roermond"). On 12 August, Richard Michael Heakin, a British sergeant\-major was shot dead at [Ostend](/wiki/Ostend "Ostend"), [Belgium](/wiki/Belgium "Belgium").[Malcolm Sutton's Index of Deaths from the Conflict in Ireland: 1988](http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/sutton/chron/1988.html). [Conflict Archive on the Internet](/wiki/Conflict_Archive_on_the_Internet "Conflict Archive on the Internet") (CAIN) In June 1989, a British base in [Osnabrück](/wiki/Osnabr%C3%BCck "Osnabrück") was bombed and the following month a British soldier was killed by an IRA booby trap bomb in [Hanover](/wiki/Hanover "Hanover").[Malcolm Sutton's Index of Deaths from the Conflict in Ireland: 1989](http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/sutton/chron/1989.html), CAIN.ulst.ac.uk; accessed 6 August 2014\.

Cars owned by British military personnel in Germany had [distinctive number plates](/wiki/Vehicle_registration_plates_of_the_United_Kingdom%23Armed_forces_vehicles "Vehicle registration plates of the United Kingdom#Armed forces vehicles"), which helped the IRA identify targets.[Secret squad sent in to track down IRA killers](https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2507&dat=19880503&id=2DpAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=U1kMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3651,238672), *[Glasgow Herald](/wiki/Glasgow_Herald "Glasgow Herald")*, May 3, 1988["IRA ATTACK BRINGS CALL FOR CHANGES"](http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=MH&s_site=miami&p_multi=MH&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB337BCA30F5849&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM). *[The Miami Herald](/wiki/The_Miami_Herald "The Miami Herald")*, 3 May 1988; retrieved 8 March 2013\. In August 1988, following the killing of the three RAF members, they were replaced with standard British number plates.["BRITAIN HOPES NEW AUTO PLATES WILL COUNTER ATTACKS BY IRA"](http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SL&p_theme=sl&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB328A978CF3852&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM). *[St. Louis Post\-Dispatch](/wiki/St._Louis_Post-Dispatch "St. Louis Post-Dispatch")*, 24 August 1988\. Retrieved 8 March 2013\.["IRA guerrillas kill Navy officer"](https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=R-4pAAAAIBAJ&sjid=GWUFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4662%2C4245372). *[Lewiston Daily Sun](/wiki/Lewiston_Daily_Sun "Lewiston Daily Sun")*, 24 August 1988; retrieved 8 March 2013\. Critics of the move warned that British tourists would be at risk as their cars would be indistinguishable from soldiers' cars.

On 7 September 1989 German civilian [Heidi Hazell](/wiki/Heidi_Hazell_%28IRA_murder_victim%29 "Heidi Hazell (IRA murder victim)"), the wife of a British soldier, was [shot dead](/wiki/Murder_of_Heidi_Hazell "Murder of Heidi Hazell") as she sat in a car outside a British Army married quarter in [Unna](/wiki/Unna "Unna"). The car had British number plates.["I.R.A. Gunman Kills Wife of a Briton"](https://www.nytimes.com/1989/09/09/world/ira-gunman-kills-wife-of-a-briton.html), *[The New York Times](/wiki/The_New_York_Times "The New York Times")*, 9 September 1989; retrieved 4 March 2013\. The IRA expressed regret for the death and stated she had been shot "in the belief that she was a member of the British army garrison at [Dortmund](/wiki/Dortmund "Dortmund")".["Woman's Killing A Mistake, IRA Says"](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-09-09-mn-1567-story.html). *[Los Angeles Times](/wiki/Los_Angeles_Times "Los Angeles Times")*, 9 September 1989; retrieved 4 March 2013\.

On 28 October 1989, IRA members opened fire on the car of RAF corporal Mick Islania. The corporal had just returned to the car from a petrol station snack barOperation Banner 1969–2007, [Roll of Honour](http://operationbanner.com/roh/default.asp?MonthAsNumber=10) ; retrieved 5 March 2013\. Quote: "Maheshkumar was a member of the Royal Air Force (RAF) when killed. The brief circumstances of the death are as follows: *Shot during gun attack on his family car, [Wildenrath](/wiki/Wildenrath "Wildenrath"), West Germany. His 6\-month\-old daughter (Nivruti Mahesh Islania) was also killed from a single shot during the IRA attack. His wife survived the attack physically uninjured, but in great shock. Mahesh was a corporal in the RAF and had just collected a meal from a takeaway beside a petrol station when 2 men approached on foot, opening fire with automatic weapons. West German police suspected the attackers included [Desmond Grew](/wiki/Desmond_Grew "Desmond Grew") who was later shot by the SAS in 1990*." in [Wildenrath](/wiki/Wildenrath "Wildenrath"). Also in the car were his wife Smita and their six\-month\-old daughter Nivruti. Corporal Islania was hit by multiple rounds and died instantly; his daughter was killed by a single shot to the head. Smita Islania suffered shock. The IRA expressed regret for the child's death and stated its members did not know she was in the car.


Can a person be shot dead as she sat in a car outside a British Army married quarter in modern times?