The day was dubbed "Bloody Thursday" by the British press. British prime minister Margaret Thatcher called the attack "barbaric", while Ireland's Taoiseach, Garret FitzGerald, said it was "cruel and cynical", and pledged the help of the Irish security forces to catch those responsible. Although not involved in the attack, Newry IRA member Eamon Collins was arrested shortly afterwards and interrogated. After five days of questioning, Collins broke under interrogation and turned supergrass, leading to more than a dozen arrests of other IRA members. The attack prompted calls from unionist politicians to "increase security", and the British government launched a multi-million pound programme of construction to protect bases from similar attacks. This involved installing reinforced roofs and building blast-deflecting walls around the base of buildings.