1983: fuga da Maze

1983: the Maze prison escape

On 25th September 1983, 38 Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA / PIRA) escaped from a maximum security prison, known as “The Maze”, a prison considered to be the most escape-proof prisons in Europe. The IRA prisoners took control of H-Block 7 (H7) and made their escape from the prison transport van.

One prison officer died of a heart attack as the result of the escape and 20 others were injured, including 2 who were shot with guns that had been smuggled into the prison. The escape was a propaganda coup for the IRA and the British Government faced calls to resign. The official inquiry into the escape puts the blame onto the prison staff who in return blamed the escape on the political interference into the running of the prison.

To this day, the IRA refused to tell how they smuggled guns into the jail.