Hillary Clinton warned of bomb threat day before Bloody Sunday report was published

US presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton was warned dissident republicans might launch a bomb attack to coincide with the publication of the Bloody Sunday report in a briefing the day before Saville's findings were made public in Londonderry on June 15, 2010.

Mrs Clinton, who was US Secretary of State at the time, was sent a briefing on the background to the report compiled by US Consul General Kamala Lakhdhir, by State Department official Jake Sullivan, according to internal emails that have been leaked to the Wikileaks anti-secrecy organisation.

The presumptive Democratic Party candidate, who has been a regular visitor to the city and was a close friend of the late trade unionist, Inez McCormack, was warned: “Media reports have quoted the PSNI’s security assessment in the area as ‘severe.’ The police are mounting a major security operation around Derry/Londonderry amid fears of a bombing by dissident republicans.”

Ms Lakhdir also presciently warned Mrs Clinton of the potential for political fall-out in the wake of publication.

“Northern Ireland’s politicians have for the last 12 years, been deeply divided over the report and its inherent value.

“The Ulster Unionist (UUP) MLA David McNarry has reflected the option of other unionist politicians that there should be no more inquiries after Bloody Sunday. UUP Party colleague Tom Elliot claimed that deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness (who was the IRA ‘adjutant’ in Londonderry in January 1972) should be held to account for his role and knowledge of other killings in the area at the time.

“The SDLP MP Mark Durkan said lessons can be learned from the report’s findings: ‘If the report is received in the right way, depending on what it says, can actually offer us some opportunity to heal history and on the basis of healing history, then we can help to heal some of the specific hurts that are carried by so many.’”

Meanwhile, the leaked emails also show Clinton confidante, Sidney Blumenthal, attacked the then Conservative leader David Cameron for alleged politicking whilst Gordon Brown was engaged in crisis talks over policing and justice at Hillsborough Castle in January 2010.

In a memo to Mrs Clinton he wrote: “Cameron has intervened, threatening recklessly to destroy a generation of work, in order potentially to gain marginal seats in NI in case of a hung parliament. Secret meetings were held at a country house of NI Unionists and Tories.”

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