A taxi driver who was shot in a sectarian attack more than 20 years ago has said he is in fear for his life and is considering giving up his job after delegates due to attend a British intelligence-linked cyber security event in Belfast were warned not to take black cab tours 'because they are run by the IRA'.
Jason O'Halloran was shot three times, in the legs and groin, by the UFF in a sectarian attack at Rosapenna Street in north Belfast in July 2002.
Just 20 minutes later the same group shot and killed innocent Catholic man Gerard Lawlor, also in north Belfast.
Solicitors for around 50 people say defamation proceedings are to be launched after false claims about the taxi industry were made in a security briefing paper ahead of this week's CyberUK 2023 event, which is being organised by a body linked to the British government's secret General Communications Headquarters (GCHQ).
Organised by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), which is part of GCHQ, it helps protect from cyber attacks and improves internet security.
Mr O'Halloran's solicitor Colin McMenamin, of KRW Law, said defamation action will now be taken against the NCSC.
It was reported that Bray Leino Events, which is helping with this week's event, advised its staff not to take black cab tours of Belfast's famous wall murals claiming they are run by the IRA.
A father-of-two, Mr O'Halloran, who has been a black taxi driver and tour guide for around eight years, said he has not returned to work since last Friday.
Until last week he regularly brought tourists to sites on both the Falls and Shankill roads.
He revealed how at the end of one trip last week a Welsh tourist asked him if he was a member of the IRA.
"On the tour I did on Friday the people asked me was I a member of the IRA.
"They were genuine, serious because the girl said to me at the end 'can I ask you a personal question?'
"I said 'yes, no problem, what is it'?
"She said 'are you a member of the IRA?'
"I looked at her and I said 'no'.
"'Where you ever?' Here's me, 'no'."
Mr O'Halloran said he has been left in fear for his life.
"I haven't worked from Friday and to be honest with you I have no plans to go back to work yet," he said.
"I am still in shock over it."
Mr O'Halloran said he "loved" his job which helped him deal with the trauma of being shot and injured more than two decades ago.
"There's no help here for post traumatic stress, tourists talking about it was actually helping me more with getting over what happened, now that's gone," he said.
Mr O'Halloran said he feels he is unable to return to work
"At the minute I have no intention of going back to work, I don't feel safe now going back to work," he said.
"I had received death threats after the shooting and so this has brought things back to me.
"How can I feel safe driving about in a taxi now, now I think it's another threat against me since this came out.
"Once you label something like that it is going to have an impact."
Mr O'Halloran said he has been "labelled as an IRA member".
"How are we able to go into the Shankill and the loyalist people will look at you and I think the people will look at you as an IRA man."
Mr McMenamin said: "Listening to Mr O'Halloran comment on what has happened since this has emerged, it's clearly having a devastating impact on him and his family and it's the sort of story reflected across the board."
In a statement Bray Leino Events acknowledged that "statements made in an internal document for event support staff have caused offence" while an apology was made and the document withdrawn.
The NCSC also distanced itself from the offending document saying it was sent in error by a contractor and contains "significant factual inaccuracies".
