DETAINED PAIR WERE QUIZZED ON OMAGH
Detained pair were quizzed on Omagh
By Sharon O'Neill
COUPLE charged in connection with the discovery of a 130lb primed bomb in Co Tyrone had previously been
questioned by police over the Omagh bombing, the Irish News has learned.
It is understood the pair had once been detained in relation to the 1998 Real IRA attack - which killed 31 people including two unborn children - and released without charge.
Last night the couple, Steven John Daly (28) and his wife, Helen Marie Daly (25), appeared before a special sitting of Omagh magistrates court charged with possession of explosives with intent to endanger life. The pair denied the charges and were remanded in custody.
The charges relate to the discovery of a 1301b primed bomb found in a creamery can in a stone shed adjacent to a house on Glenaness Road near Sixmilecross.
The explosives were made safe on Wednesday morning following a major security operation which sparked several follow-up searches.
A man and woman - arrested in the Newtownbutler area of Co Fermanagh -have been released from custody.
An RUC spokesman confirmed that they were the subject of a police report sent to the director of public prosecutions on possession of information likely to be of use to terrorists.
Shortly after the find a police chief put the bomb on display and said lives could have been lost if the device had not been intercepted.
Superintendent James Baxter said: "A bomb of this size could have caused any amount of death and destruction.
"The people of Omagh do not need any reminder of the devastation which a bomb can cause. I have no doubt, with the recovery of this bomb, we have saved lives."
Last night Michael Gallagher, whose son Adrian was killed in the Omagh bomb, echoed the senior officer's view.
Mr Gallagher and a number of other relatives have joined forces to launch an unprecedented civil action against those suspected of the Real IRA attack.
He expressed his shock and disgust that a bomb had lain primed near Sixmilecross - close to where so many people lost their lives.
"The discovery of the bomb was a very worrying development, given the fact that over three years ago we suffered the worst single atrocity in Europe," he said.
Had the bomb exploded, he said, "it could have resulted in similar devastation and carnage".
So far no-one has been charged with the murders of 31 people in Omagh on August 15 1998.
The trial of Colm Murphy, the only man to face charges over the bombing, continues at Dublin's special criminal court.
Mr Murphy is charged with conspiracy with persons not before the court, to cause an explosion in the state or elsewhere between August 13-16 1998.
By Sharon O'Neill
COUPLE charged in connection with the discovery of a 130lb primed bomb in Co Tyrone had previously been
questioned by police over the Omagh bombing, the Irish News has learned.
It is understood the pair had once been detained in relation to the 1998 Real IRA attack - which killed 31 people including two unborn children - and released without charge.
Last night the couple, Steven John Daly (28) and his wife, Helen Marie Daly (25), appeared before a special sitting of Omagh magistrates court charged with possession of explosives with intent to endanger life. The pair denied the charges and were remanded in custody.
The charges relate to the discovery of a 1301b primed bomb found in a creamery can in a stone shed adjacent to a house on Glenaness Road near Sixmilecross.
The explosives were made safe on Wednesday morning following a major security operation which sparked several follow-up searches.
A man and woman - arrested in the Newtownbutler area of Co Fermanagh -have been released from custody.
An RUC spokesman confirmed that they were the subject of a police report sent to the director of public prosecutions on possession of information likely to be of use to terrorists.
Shortly after the find a police chief put the bomb on display and said lives could have been lost if the device had not been intercepted.
Superintendent James Baxter said: "A bomb of this size could have caused any amount of death and destruction.
"The people of Omagh do not need any reminder of the devastation which a bomb can cause. I have no doubt, with the recovery of this bomb, we have saved lives."
Last night Michael Gallagher, whose son Adrian was killed in the Omagh bomb, echoed the senior officer's view.
Mr Gallagher and a number of other relatives have joined forces to launch an unprecedented civil action against those suspected of the Real IRA attack.
He expressed his shock and disgust that a bomb had lain primed near Sixmilecross - close to where so many people lost their lives.
"The discovery of the bomb was a very worrying development, given the fact that over three years ago we suffered the worst single atrocity in Europe," he said.
Had the bomb exploded, he said, "it could have resulted in similar devastation and carnage".
So far no-one has been charged with the murders of 31 people in Omagh on August 15 1998.
The trial of Colm Murphy, the only man to face charges over the bombing, continues at Dublin's special criminal court.
Mr Murphy is charged with conspiracy with persons not before the court, to cause an explosion in the state or elsewhere between August 13-16 1998.
Further Information
Publisher: THE IRISH NEWS
Ref: IN/0511
Published Date: 19-Oct-01
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