'Nationalist' group claims to be targeting second home sales

An organisation that calls itself the Cornish Republican Army - and which has claimed responsibility for starting a fire in one of Rick Stein’s restaurants - says it is targetting, amongst other things, the sale of second homes to non-local people.

The shadowy group, according to reports in the local media in south west England, was behind the recent fire at Stein’s restaurant in the Cornish town of Porthlevan and now claims to even have a volunteer for a suicide bomb attack.

The organisation, known at one time as the Cornish National Liberation Army and by the Celtic name of An Gof, is believed to have been dormant for a decade but reappeared recently with threats carried on an internet blog which has since been removed.

The CRA claims to have 30 volunteers operating in ‘Active Service Units’ vowing to target the second homes of ‘wealthy English people’ and other examples of what it calls the "English Imperial System" or EIS.

“Our activities against second and expensive English owned homes will continue. We also intend to target those authorities including the EIS police who victimise Cornish people. What have we to fear or lose - nothing” says the organisation.

"We are in no hurry to conduct actions and so these will happen over a period of time. Whilst we greatly admire and respect the efforts of Cornish Nationals who seek change through moderate means, we note that previous members of the IRA are now in power in the North of Ireland showing that there is a place for military action” says the statement.