[1] The small, isolated wooden church was outside the village of Darkley, near the border with the Republic of Ireland and several miles from Armagh.

As the service began, three masked gunmen arrived,[1] at least one of whom was armed with a Ruger semi-automatic rifle[citation needed] and opened fire on those standing at the entrance.

We serve notice on the PAF to call an immediate halt to their vicious indiscriminate campaign against innocent Catholics, or we will make the Darkley killings look like a picnic".

McGlinchey explained that the INLA member had asked him for a gun to shoot a known loyalist who had been involved in sectarian killings.

[11] There were reprisal sectarian attacks on Catholics in North Belfast, Lisburn, and Portadown within 24 hours of the Darkley massacre.

[13] On 5 December, fifteen days after the Darkley attack, the PAF shot dead INLA member Joseph Craven (26) in Newtownabbey.

[14] In May 1986 it was used to claim the killing of Protestant civilian David Wilson (39), who was shot while driving his firm's van in Donaghmore.

[16] In 2001 the name was used to claim two attacks on homes in which there were no injuries,[17] and in 2002 was used to issue a threat to hospital workers suspected of links to the security forces.