OMAGH BOMB: NINE HELD
OMAGH BOMB: NINE HELD
By Chris Thornton
Security Correspondent
POLICE on both sides of the border arrested nine men today for questioning about the Omagh bombing.
In a series of dawn swoops. RUC and Garda officers detained the men in south Armagh and Co Monaghan.
The arrests, which were coordinated, marked the the most significant public move yet in the hunt for the Omagh bombers.
The manhunt, the largest in the RUC's history, began within hours of the August 15 bombing, which caused 29 deaths and 200 injuries.
None of today's arrests were made in the Omagh area, but the locations were clearly linked to the investigation. The car used in the massacre was stolen in Co Monaghan, while the bomb is believed to have been assembled in south Armagh.
Six men were understood to have been arrested in Northern Ireland. They were picked up at separate addresses in south Armagh.
The men were believed to have been held initially at Gough Barracks in Armagh.
The RUC refused to give details about the arrests. "A number of arrests have been made in connection with serious crime in the Tyrone area," an RUC spokesman said.
In the Republic, armed gardai officers arrested three men for questioning at 6.30am. The three men are aged between 19 and 34 and are all residents of Co Monaghan.
"These arrests are in connection with the investigation into the theft of a car from Carrickmacross which was subsequently used in the Omagh bomb," a Garda spokesman said.
The arrests follow the passage of tough new anti-terror laws in London and Dublin.
The new legislation was expected to lead to arrests, since the laws were designed to give police greater advantages in pursuing terror suspects.
No one has yet been charged in connection with the Omagh bombing.
By Chris Thornton
Security Correspondent
POLICE on both sides of the border arrested nine men today for questioning about the Omagh bombing.
In a series of dawn swoops. RUC and Garda officers detained the men in south Armagh and Co Monaghan.
The arrests, which were coordinated, marked the the most significant public move yet in the hunt for the Omagh bombers.
The manhunt, the largest in the RUC's history, began within hours of the August 15 bombing, which caused 29 deaths and 200 injuries.
None of today's arrests were made in the Omagh area, but the locations were clearly linked to the investigation. The car used in the massacre was stolen in Co Monaghan, while the bomb is believed to have been assembled in south Armagh.
Six men were understood to have been arrested in Northern Ireland. They were picked up at separate addresses in south Armagh.
The men were believed to have been held initially at Gough Barracks in Armagh.
The RUC refused to give details about the arrests. "A number of arrests have been made in connection with serious crime in the Tyrone area," an RUC spokesman said.
In the Republic, armed gardai officers arrested three men for questioning at 6.30am. The three men are aged between 19 and 34 and are all residents of Co Monaghan.
"These arrests are in connection with the investigation into the theft of a car from Carrickmacross which was subsequently used in the Omagh bomb," a Garda spokesman said.
The arrests follow the passage of tough new anti-terror laws in London and Dublin.
The new legislation was expected to lead to arrests, since the laws were designed to give police greater advantages in pursuing terror suspects.
No one has yet been charged in connection with the Omagh bombing.
Further Information
Publisher: BELFAST TELEGRAPH
Ref: BT/0665
Published Date: 21-Sep-98
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