 In March 1988, Savage and McCann, along with another Provisional IRA member Mairéad Farrell, were sent to the British overseas territory of Gibraltar to plant a bomb in the town area targeting a British Army band which paraded weekly in front of the Governors' residence.However, the British Government had acquired information about the intended attack and specially dispatched a British Army detachment there to intercept it, in an operation that it code-named "Operation Flavius".On 6 March 1988 Savage, McCann and Farrell entered Gibraltar from across the Spanish border to carry out a reconnaissance of the target.