REAL IRA'S BOMB CLAIMS GREETED WITH CONTEMPT
Real IRA's bomb claims greeted with contempt
By Valerie Robinson and Michael O'Toole
SECRETARY OF STATE Mo Mowlam last night described as a "contemptible" claims by the dissident Real IRA that it did not intend to kill civilians in the Omagh bombing.
In a statement to the Dublin office of the Irish News, the group admitted planting the Omagh bomb which killed 28 people and injured 220.
And the group claimed it gave enough warning time to clear the area of members of the public.
In response, Dr Mowlam accused the group of attempting to make "a pathetic attempt at an excuse for mass murder".
"I think it is contemptible and I think it is an insult to the people of Omagh who have done so much in the last days to try and overcome the worst ravages that the bombers created." she said.
"The sole responsibility lies with the bombers and we and the Irish government will continue to do all we can to hunt them down," she said.
Northern Ireland's Deputy First Minister Seamus Mallon criticised the group's claims as "callous and so pathetic it scarcely deserves a reply".
"It is an attempt to excuse the inexcusable." he said.
"Murder can never be excused or justified. The people of Northern Ireland will treat the statement and its authors with the contempt they deserve."
The Real IRA claimed there had been "three warnings put in, there were 40 minutes warning on each of them" before Saturday's explosion in Omagh.
The dissident republican group which prefers to be known by the Irish title Oglaigh na hEireann went on to claim that two warning calls had been made to UTV and one to the Samaritans in Coleraine.
"Each time the call was made it was very clear and the people talked back.
"The location was 300-400 yards from the courthouse on the main street.
"At no time was it said it was near the courthouse. It was a commercial target."
The group went on to say that they did not intend "at any time to kill any civilians".
According to the statement by the group, the bomb attack was "part of an ongoing war against the Brits".
"We offer apologies to the civilians."
Ulster Television last night insisted the warning it received claimed the bomb was at the courthouse.
Two calls were received by the television station within minutes of each other, warning that a 500lb bomb had been left at the courthouse on Omagh Main Street.
The first call said the bomb would go off in 30 minutes, the second in 15 minutes.
And the RUC last night said that the paramilitaries behind the bombing could not diminish their responsibility for the attack which devastated the Co Tyrone town.
"This is a pathetic attempt to justify or shift the blame for the murder of 28 men, women and children. It should be treated with the contempt it deserves," said a police spokesman.
And Alliance Chief Whip David Ford accused the members of the dissident group of shedding "crocodile tears for the innocent victims".
"If this terrorist gang really meant what it said about not putting civilians at risk it would now call off all such actions. Anything else would prove its hypocrisy," he said.
By Valerie Robinson and Michael O'Toole
SECRETARY OF STATE Mo Mowlam last night described as a "contemptible" claims by the dissident Real IRA that it did not intend to kill civilians in the Omagh bombing.
In a statement to the Dublin office of the Irish News, the group admitted planting the Omagh bomb which killed 28 people and injured 220.
And the group claimed it gave enough warning time to clear the area of members of the public.
In response, Dr Mowlam accused the group of attempting to make "a pathetic attempt at an excuse for mass murder".
"I think it is contemptible and I think it is an insult to the people of Omagh who have done so much in the last days to try and overcome the worst ravages that the bombers created." she said.
"The sole responsibility lies with the bombers and we and the Irish government will continue to do all we can to hunt them down," she said.
Northern Ireland's Deputy First Minister Seamus Mallon criticised the group's claims as "callous and so pathetic it scarcely deserves a reply".
"It is an attempt to excuse the inexcusable." he said.
"Murder can never be excused or justified. The people of Northern Ireland will treat the statement and its authors with the contempt they deserve."
The Real IRA claimed there had been "three warnings put in, there were 40 minutes warning on each of them" before Saturday's explosion in Omagh.
The dissident republican group which prefers to be known by the Irish title Oglaigh na hEireann went on to claim that two warning calls had been made to UTV and one to the Samaritans in Coleraine.
"Each time the call was made it was very clear and the people talked back.
"The location was 300-400 yards from the courthouse on the main street.
"At no time was it said it was near the courthouse. It was a commercial target."
The group went on to say that they did not intend "at any time to kill any civilians".
According to the statement by the group, the bomb attack was "part of an ongoing war against the Brits".
"We offer apologies to the civilians."
Ulster Television last night insisted the warning it received claimed the bomb was at the courthouse.
Two calls were received by the television station within minutes of each other, warning that a 500lb bomb had been left at the courthouse on Omagh Main Street.
The first call said the bomb would go off in 30 minutes, the second in 15 minutes.
And the RUC last night said that the paramilitaries behind the bombing could not diminish their responsibility for the attack which devastated the Co Tyrone town.
"This is a pathetic attempt to justify or shift the blame for the murder of 28 men, women and children. It should be treated with the contempt it deserves," said a police spokesman.
And Alliance Chief Whip David Ford accused the members of the dissident group of shedding "crocodile tears for the innocent victims".
"If this terrorist gang really meant what it said about not putting civilians at risk it would now call off all such actions. Anything else would prove its hypocrisy," he said.
Further Information
Publisher: THE IRISH NEWS
Ref: IN/0060
Published Date: 19-Aug-98
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