what did libya stand to gain by supporting republicans during the troubles all the way in Northern Ireland?

Akay: what did libya stand to gain by supporting republicans during the troubles all the way in Northern Ireland?
…apparantely they supplied the reps with anti aircraft missles, guns and semtex explosives….what did libya have to gain by doing this?

Answers and Views:

Answer by Black Sabbath
Historically the UK ruled Libya, additionally the U.S. and U.K. had some small scale attacks on Libyan soil. It was meant to weaken the U.K. and cause them to lose credibility. N. Ireland is ruled by the UK.

Answer by Sking
They just wanted to stir up trouble and tweak Britain’s nose.