Terrorist Who Brought Nail Bombs to Irish Parliament Claims It Was 'Performance Art'

FoxNews.com ^ | Saturday, October 18, 2008 | Allison Barrie

[Joiseydude]

Convicted killer Michael Stone stormed the Irish Parliament with enough homemade bombs to kill dozens in a rain of fire and nails.

But it was all in the name of art, he says.

The lifelong terrorist, now awaiting judgment in Ireland for his November 2006 raid on the Stormont Parliamentary Building in Belfast, is trying a novel defense against the attempted murder charges he's facing: His bombs were part of an innocent performance art installation and nothing more.

The 53-year-old Stone was caught red-handed with a hoard of 18 deadly weapons he says were props in his one-man show. The nail bombs were meant to symbolize "nailing the truth," he told a court in testimony in September — but that's a line prosecutors aren't buying.

[Joiseydude]

Stone claimed he constructed the bombs out of plastic rather than metal as evidence of his innocence. However, experts say although plastic is less likely to produce sharp fragments that would penetrate body and would have a smaller kill radius, it would be a more intelligent choice for a terrorist trying to evade detection by metal detectors.

Yet Stone's counsel found an art critic willing to testify that the bombs really might constitute a form of art. Peter Bond, a senior art lecturer at St. Martin’s College in London, testified that as long as Stone was not intending to set off his explosives, they could fall "under the ambit" of performance art.

[raybbr]

...testified that as long as Stone was not intending to set off his explosives...

Did they have fuses?

[Above My Pay Grade]

Maybe he got the idea for his defense here

[antiunion person]

That sort of reasoning won't work in the Ireland court system. Crap like that would most likely work here in the United States where the liberal courts would not only let this go but probably arrange for grants for furthering his ‘art’ works.

[sinsofsolarempirefan]

Stormed the ‘Irish’ Parliament? Do Fox News reporters know the difference between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland?

[HokieMom]

Convicted killer Michael Stone stormed the Irish Parliament with enough homemade bombs to kill dozens in a rain of fire and nails.

But it was all in the name of art, he says.

Wonder if he's Oliver's cousin.

[HighlyOpinionated]

Oh yes and murder is just practicing medicine (after birth abortion) without a license.

Why has no murderer tried to use the “after birth abortion without a medical license” excuse in Court?

[RightWingConspirator]

How about some “performance art” by the local executioner with this twit swinging at the end of a hangman’s noose? Works for me.