Omagh bombing

The Omagh bombing was a car bomb attack carried out by the Real IRA on August 15, 1998, against civilians in Omagh, Northern Ireland. The Real IRA are a small splinter group of former Provisional Irish Republican Army members opposed to the peace process marked by the Good Friday Agreement. Twenty-nine people were killed in the attack, including one woman who was pregnant with twins. Roughly 220 people were injured.

Related Topics:
Car bomb - Real IRA - August 15 - 1998 - Omagh - Northern Ireland - Provisional Irish Republican Army - Good Friday Agreement

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The atrocity provoked anger across political and religious divides, as the victims included Catholics as well as Protestants, some of whom were from republican areas. The dead also included Spanish tourists and others on a day trip from County Donegal across the border in the Republic.

Related Topics:
Catholic - Protestant - Republican - Spanish - County Donegal - Republic

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On the day of the bombing, the Ulster Television newsroom in Belfast received a false warning as to the location of the bomb. As a result the Royal Ulster Constabulary directed civilians away from the named site towards the actual location of the bomb. The first warning came less than half an hour before the explosion.

Related Topics:
Ulster Television - Royal Ulster Constabulary

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The Police Ombudsman, Nuala O'Loan, strongly criticised the RUC over their handling of the investigation. She stated that RUC officers had ignored previous warnings about a bomb and had failed to act on crucial intelligence. She went on to say that officers had been uncooperative and defensive during her inquiry into the investigation.

Related Topics:
Police Ombudsman - Nuala O'Loan

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The BBC's Panorama programme, Who Bombed Omagh?, shown in 2000, gave the names of the prime suspects as Séamus McKenna, Michael McKevitt, Liam Campbell, Colm Murphy, and Seamus Daly. It is believed that the bombing of BBC Television Centre in London was a revenge attack for the broadcast. Bomb-builder and publican Murphy, from County Louth, was charged and convicted in 2001 by the Republic's Special Criminal Court for "conspiracy to cause an explosion likely to endanger life or cause injury". He was sentenced to fourteen years in jail. In January 2005, Murphy's conviction was quashed and a retrial ordered by the Court of Criminal Appeal, on the grounds that two gardaí had falsified interview notes, and that Murphy's previous convictions were improperly taken into account by the trial judges http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/0121/omagh.html.

Related Topics:
BBC - Panorama - 2000 - Séamus McKenna - Michael McKevitt - Liam Campbell - Colm Murphy - Seamus Daly - BBC Television Centre - London - Publican - County Louth - 2001 - Republic's - Special Criminal Court - Court of Criminal Appeal - Gardaí

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No others have been indicted in a criminal court, because of lack of evidence. Many of the others were later sued in a civil action by the relatives of people killed in the bombing, including the families of James Barker, 12, Samantha McFarland, 17, Lorraine Wilson, 15, and 20-month-old Breda Devine.

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The Real IRA have claimed that their intent was not to kill civilians but to destroy Omagh's courthouse. This is not supported by the evidence, or the circumstantial testimony. The timing of the bombing, and the initial false warning calls served to magnify, not limit, the number of deaths caused by the bomb.

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On 26 May, 2005, Sean Hoey, an electrician from Jonesborough from south County Armagh was charged with the murders and 32 other explosive and terrorism offenses.

Related Topics:
26 May - 2005 - Jonesborough - County Armagh

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