MI6 Hit by Missile: London's Security Shaken

Someone fired a rocket-propelled grenade at the headquarters of Britain's foreign intelligence service and got away with it. The RPG-22, a Soviet-designed disposable launcher, punched a hole in the MI6 building's upper floors on the south bank of the Thames on September 20, 2000. No one was killed. No one was ever charged. The attack was later linked to dissident Irish republicans, though never officially confirmed. The MI6 building at Vauxhall Cross, designed by architect Terry Farrell and opened in 1994, was one of London's most recognizable landmarks, sitting prominently on the Albert Embankment. The missile was fired from across the river at a range of approximately 200 meters. The warhead, designed to penetrate armored vehicles, struck the eighth floor but caused limited structural damage to the reinforced building. The Metropolitan Police launched a major investigation, examining the launcher left at the firing position and reviewing extensive CCTV footage from the surrounding area. Despite the physical evidence and London's dense surveillance network, no arrests were ever made. The Real IRA, a dissident republican splinter group responsible for the 1998 Omagh bombing, was widely suspected but never formally accused. The attack embarrassed both MI6 and the Metropolitan Police, demonstrating that the very building designed to project British intelligence power could be struck in broad daylight with an off-the-shelf Cold War weapon. Security around the building was significantly upgraded afterward, including restricted river access and enhanced perimeter monitoring.