 The arrest operation was cancelled, but the attack went ahead.On 31 August 2018 the Police Service of Northern Ireland arrested Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey, two journalists who researched the event, in connection with the theft of material relating to the Ombudsman's investigation, handling stolen goods, and possible breaches of the Official Secrets Act and data protection laws.On the 18th anniversary of the attack, the Republic of Ireland football team again played Italy – this time in Euro 2012 at Poznań, Poland.