BREAKTHROUGH ON OMAGH AS FIRST MAN CHARGED
Breakthrough on Omagh as first man charged
By TOM BRADY Security Editor
A MAN is to face charges in the Special Criminal Court in Dublin this morning in connection with the Omagh bomb atrocity.
Gardai made a major breakthrough last night in their six-month investigation after a joint cross-Border swoop with the RUC on suspects' homes.
This will be the first time charges have been brought on either side of the border in connection with the August IS bomb which killed 29 people.
The 47-year-old suspect is a native of Belleeks in south Armagh but has been living in Dundalk for several years.
He will face two charges in court this morning in connection with the bombing.
The suspect was one of three men detained by Gardai in Dundalk on Sunday morning under section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act. The two others were released without charge last night.
Two other men arrested in Dundalk on Monday night are still being held while a father and son detained in Hackballscross on Sunday were released on Monday evening. All were quizzed in either Monaghan or Carrickmacross stations.
The suspect, who is a builder and owns a pub in Dundalk, was also quizzed by gardai about his alleged associations with the breakaway republican splinter group, the Real IRA, late last year.
SUSPECTS
He was convicted of firearms charges in 1972 and served a sentence in Portlaoise jail and 10 years later was convicted in the US of attempting to purchase guns for an illegal organisation. He was released from jail in the US in 1985 and returned to this country.
The man has been one of the prime suspects since within a fortnight of the bombing and is believed to be a close associate of the Real IRA leader, the former quartermaster general of the Provisional IRA.
In the wake of the bombing a major investigation on this side of the border was ordered by Garda Commissioner Pat Byrne who appointed one of his key officers, Assistant Commissioner Kevin Carty, in charge of the hunt for the killer gang.
The garda team, based in Carrickmacross, has worked closely with the RUC in Omagh. The forces have shared intelligence on an almost daily basis.
Four of six men detained by the RUC as part of the joint operation were released in Derry last night.
By TOM BRADY Security Editor
A MAN is to face charges in the Special Criminal Court in Dublin this morning in connection with the Omagh bomb atrocity.
Gardai made a major breakthrough last night in their six-month investigation after a joint cross-Border swoop with the RUC on suspects' homes.
This will be the first time charges have been brought on either side of the border in connection with the August IS bomb which killed 29 people.
The 47-year-old suspect is a native of Belleeks in south Armagh but has been living in Dundalk for several years.
He will face two charges in court this morning in connection with the bombing.
The suspect was one of three men detained by Gardai in Dundalk on Sunday morning under section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act. The two others were released without charge last night.
Two other men arrested in Dundalk on Monday night are still being held while a father and son detained in Hackballscross on Sunday were released on Monday evening. All were quizzed in either Monaghan or Carrickmacross stations.
The suspect, who is a builder and owns a pub in Dundalk, was also quizzed by gardai about his alleged associations with the breakaway republican splinter group, the Real IRA, late last year.
SUSPECTS
He was convicted of firearms charges in 1972 and served a sentence in Portlaoise jail and 10 years later was convicted in the US of attempting to purchase guns for an illegal organisation. He was released from jail in the US in 1985 and returned to this country.
The man has been one of the prime suspects since within a fortnight of the bombing and is believed to be a close associate of the Real IRA leader, the former quartermaster general of the Provisional IRA.
In the wake of the bombing a major investigation on this side of the border was ordered by Garda Commissioner Pat Byrne who appointed one of his key officers, Assistant Commissioner Kevin Carty, in charge of the hunt for the killer gang.
The garda team, based in Carrickmacross, has worked closely with the RUC in Omagh. The forces have shared intelligence on an almost daily basis.
Four of six men detained by the RUC as part of the joint operation were released in Derry last night.
Further Information
Publisher: IRISH INDEPENDENT
Ref: II/168
Published Date: 24-Feb-99
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