IRA rifle 'was found in lock-up'

THE KALASHNIKOV rifle used in the attempted murder by the IRA of Sir Peter Terry, the former governor-general of Gibraltar, was found in a west London lock- up garage rented by a suspected terrorist, the Old Bailey was told yesterday.

The trial of James Canning, 37, of Northolt, west London, was told the Kalashnikov was among six discovered, together with ammunition, bomb-making equipment and more than 40kg of Semtex plastic explosive. John Bevan, for the prosecution, said: 'There was a large quantity of bomb-making equipment and paraphernalia; there was enough to make almost every kind of bomb a terrorist could want.'

Sir Peter, Gibraltar's governor- general at the time the SAS killed three suspected IRA terrorists, was shot in the living room of his home in Staffordshire in September 1990. In spite of being struck by 6 of the 15 bullets fired from a Kalashnikov, Sir Peter survived. Mr Bevan said that although tests established that the rifle was the one used, there was no suggestion Mr Canning himself fired it.

Also in the lock-up were 14 blocks of Semtex, each weighing 2.2kg, plus another lump weighing 3.2kg, more than 600 rounds of aummunition, four car bombs, five incendiaries, eight detonators and 23 'time and power units' for making bombs. Four were of a type only recently identified as being used by the IRA in Northern Ireland and one designed as a booby trap to explode when moved. Ten were 'long delay' timers of several days.

A quantity of bullets which explode on impact - described by Mr Bevan as 'modern dum-dum expanding bullets' - were found in the garage and two more were in the revolver Mr Canning allegedly had on him when arrested.

Mr Canning and his lover, Audrey Lamb, 60, deny conspiracy to cause explosions and possession of Semtex and rifles. Mr Canning denies causing an explosion in Soho, central London, in April last year and having a revolver. Ms Lamb denies providing Mr Canning with money and other articles which might be used for terrorism.

The trial continues today.