CHAIN OF EVENTS LEADING UP TO OMAGH ATROCITY
Chain of events leading up to Omagh atrocity
DETECTIVES have pieced together a detailed picture of the Omagh bomb's progress towards its date with murder.
Chief Superintendent Eric Anderson today announced information about the investigation that ties the Real IRA bombers closer to south Armagh.
The car ferrying the bomb was spotted twice in south Armagh - in Crossmaglen and Cullaville.
And the warning calls - which Mr Anderson branded as "inadequate and incorrect" - were made from phone boxes in Forkhill and Newtownhamilton.
Around 300lbs of homemade explosives were packed into the boot of the Vauxhall Cavalier when it was parked in Market Street in Omagh on Saturday, August 15.
It exploded at ten minutes past three that afternoon, killing 29 people and injuring 250.
The Omagh inquiry team has established the chain of events that led to the carnage:
The red Cavalier was stolen in Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan, sometime between 11pm on Wednesday, August 12 and 3am the following morning.
The car was brought over the border into south Armagh and its Republic of Ireland registration was replaced with a Northern Ireland plate.
Over the next two days, Real IRA members turned the car into a mobile bomb - packing the boot with explosives and attaching a mechanical timer inside a lunch box. The work is believed to have been carried out a secret bomb factory in south Armagh. The car was spotted travelling through Crossmaglen and Cullaville.
The bomb was planted in Market Street, Omagh, around 400 yards from the town's courthouse.
Bomb warnings were telephoned from a BT callbox at McGeough's crossroads, Forkhill, to UTV and an Omagh charity.
A third warning call was made from Loyes crossroads in Newtownhamilton.
Mr Anderson said 11 people have been arrested and questioned in Northern Ireland about the attack. Gardai have arrested and questioned 31 people.
DETECTIVES have pieced together a detailed picture of the Omagh bomb's progress towards its date with murder.
Chief Superintendent Eric Anderson today announced information about the investigation that ties the Real IRA bombers closer to south Armagh.
The car ferrying the bomb was spotted twice in south Armagh - in Crossmaglen and Cullaville.
And the warning calls - which Mr Anderson branded as "inadequate and incorrect" - were made from phone boxes in Forkhill and Newtownhamilton.
Around 300lbs of homemade explosives were packed into the boot of the Vauxhall Cavalier when it was parked in Market Street in Omagh on Saturday, August 15.
It exploded at ten minutes past three that afternoon, killing 29 people and injuring 250.
The Omagh inquiry team has established the chain of events that led to the carnage:
The red Cavalier was stolen in Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan, sometime between 11pm on Wednesday, August 12 and 3am the following morning.
The car was brought over the border into south Armagh and its Republic of Ireland registration was replaced with a Northern Ireland plate.
Over the next two days, Real IRA members turned the car into a mobile bomb - packing the boot with explosives and attaching a mechanical timer inside a lunch box. The work is believed to have been carried out a secret bomb factory in south Armagh. The car was spotted travelling through Crossmaglen and Cullaville.
The bomb was planted in Market Street, Omagh, around 400 yards from the town's courthouse.
Bomb warnings were telephoned from a BT callbox at McGeough's crossroads, Forkhill, to UTV and an Omagh charity.
A third warning call was made from Loyes crossroads in Newtownhamilton.
Mr Anderson said 11 people have been arrested and questioned in Northern Ireland about the attack. Gardai have arrested and questioned 31 people.
Further Information
Publisher: BELFAST TELEGRAPH
Ref: BT/0512
Published Date: 20-Nov-98
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