<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>One of the world's greatest racehorses was kidnapped on February 9, 1983, triggering a mystery that has never been solved.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Events began when an armed gang stormed into an Irish stud farm, owned by billionaire the Aga Khan, during the night.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The masked intruders roused the stud's head groom from his bed and at gunpoint and told him to take them to prize stallion Shergar.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/possible-coalition-reunion-expected-today-after-meeting-between-liberals-and-nationals/19093271-1d14-4542-958c-257c8f41852f"><strong><span>Coalition confirms it has reunited following bitter split over hate speech laws</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The former European horse of the year was loaded onto a trailer, and the gang told the head groom a ransom demand would be issued the next day before they drove off.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Shergar, nicknamed "Wonder Horse", been valued by Lloyds of London at $20 million at stud and carried an insurance premium of $600,000 when he was racing.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>During a stellar career, Shergar was best known for winning the 1981 Epsom Derby by a record 10 lengths, just months before he was retired.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/today-in-history-february-9-what-happened-on-this-day-shergar-kidnapped/3ccdef97-7cbd-4dfc-8bc0-61f7de91b43b" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Following the horse's abduction, Irish police launched an investigation, with attention turning to the terrorist group, the Irish Republican Army (IRA), which had been fighting a long and bloody campaign against British rule in neighbouring Northern Ireland.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Its fighters had carried out multiple bank robberies and kidnappings of prominent people to fund the purchase of weapons.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/parkville-melbourne-road-rage-attack-e-scooter/b42a26ca-2212-4137-b021-a5369ab28cd5" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Tradie left with serious injuries after road rage attack by e-scooter rider</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The next day a ransom demand of $4 million was phoned through to Irish authorities.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But it appeared the kidnappers had made a crucial error. While the fabulously wealthy Aga Khan was the majority owner of Shergar, he had also permitted as many as 40 investors to take a stake in the prize-winning horse.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Despite ransom demands sharply dropping in value, they all refused to pay the ransom because they wanted to deter future abductions.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Over the following years, the police and media received many hoax calls and false alarms about sightings of Shergar, dead and alive.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Shergar has never been found and his kidnappers have never been officially identified.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/south-australia-plane-crash-victims-pilot/74e4c924-8e5f-4e08-adfd-27c66e198f22" target="" title=""><strong><span>'Forever 20': Lucas wasn't meant to be on doomed flight</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But most evidence points to the IRA.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In his book, The Informer, Sean O'Callaghan, a former IRA activist who became a double agent for British intelligence, wrote Shergar had been killed by its abductors when they were unable to handle the horse.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><em><span>NEVER MISS A STORY:</span></em></strong><span> </span><em><span>Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.</span></em></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><ul><li><strong><em><span>Download the 9NEWS App here via</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://apps.apple.com/au/app/9news/id1010533727" target="_blank" title=""><strong><em><span>Apple</span></em></strong></a><span> </span><strong><em><span>and</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nineNewsAlerts.nine.com&amp;hl=en_AU&amp;pli=1" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Google Play</span></em></strong></a></li><li><strong><em><span>Make 9News your preferred source on Google by</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://9.nine.com.au/8x987w" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>ticking this box here</span></em></strong></a></li><li><strong><em><span>Sign up to</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://login.nine.com.au/edm?client_id=nineatnine" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>our breaking newsletter here</span></em></strong></a></li></ul></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span> </span></div></div>