FAMILIES HOPES ARE RAISED BY ARRESTS
Families' hopes are raised by arrests
By Sharon O'Neill
OMAGH bomb victims' relatives have expressed hope that the first arrests by police north of the border in almost five years could yield a major breakthrough in the case.
Last night a man and a woman -believed to be husband and wife - were still being questioned by detectives over the 1998 Real IRA blast and other dissident attacks.
Police can quiz the pair - who are being interrogated at Gough Barracks in Armagh city - for 48 hours before deciding whether to charge, release, or seek an extension for further questioning. The couple were detained in the Jonesborough area of south Armagh yesterday in an arrest operation on a scale not seen in recent years.
Up to 200 police and British soldiers -some deployed by helicopters - were involved in the swoop.
It is understood a number of items, including a small red van, were seized and will undergo detailed forensic examination for any link to dissident crimes.
While police would only say the pair were being questioned in connection with serious paramilitary offences including the Omagh bombing, it is understood the arrests are being linked to a specific line of inquiry involving one of the cars used by the bombers on August 15 1998 - the day of the blast.
Progress in the case came as lawyers for relatives met Irish justice minister Michael McDowell over the looming civil action against five of the suspected bombers, to be heard in the High Court in Belfast.
Although police on both sides of the border know the identity of those behind the blast which killed 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins, no-one has been charged with murder.
Michael Gallagher, whose son Aidan was killed, welcomed the high-profile arrests, which he described as a "major breakthrough".
However, it remained unclear last night whether charges would be brought and if any would be directly related to Omagh.
"When they (PSNI) put this amount of resources into an operation, this is going to count," Mr Gallagher said.
"If this turns out to be a successful operation, it is an indication that the new investigation team is working hard and are determined to put the Omagh bombers behind bars."
Laurence Rush, whose wife Libbi was murdered, said: "I am not going to get over jubilant about this. I have seen arrests down south and they have come to nothing."
Asked if they would go some way to restore his faith in the police investigation - overhauled after serious errors were uncovered in the original RUC probe - he said: "The jury is still out as far as I am concerned."
By Sharon O'Neill
OMAGH bomb victims' relatives have expressed hope that the first arrests by police north of the border in almost five years could yield a major breakthrough in the case.
Last night a man and a woman -believed to be husband and wife - were still being questioned by detectives over the 1998 Real IRA blast and other dissident attacks.
Police can quiz the pair - who are being interrogated at Gough Barracks in Armagh city - for 48 hours before deciding whether to charge, release, or seek an extension for further questioning. The couple were detained in the Jonesborough area of south Armagh yesterday in an arrest operation on a scale not seen in recent years.
Up to 200 police and British soldiers -some deployed by helicopters - were involved in the swoop.
It is understood a number of items, including a small red van, were seized and will undergo detailed forensic examination for any link to dissident crimes.
While police would only say the pair were being questioned in connection with serious paramilitary offences including the Omagh bombing, it is understood the arrests are being linked to a specific line of inquiry involving one of the cars used by the bombers on August 15 1998 - the day of the blast.
Progress in the case came as lawyers for relatives met Irish justice minister Michael McDowell over the looming civil action against five of the suspected bombers, to be heard in the High Court in Belfast.
Although police on both sides of the border know the identity of those behind the blast which killed 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins, no-one has been charged with murder.
Michael Gallagher, whose son Aidan was killed, welcomed the high-profile arrests, which he described as a "major breakthrough".
However, it remained unclear last night whether charges would be brought and if any would be directly related to Omagh.
"When they (PSNI) put this amount of resources into an operation, this is going to count," Mr Gallagher said.
"If this turns out to be a successful operation, it is an indication that the new investigation team is working hard and are determined to put the Omagh bombers behind bars."
Laurence Rush, whose wife Libbi was murdered, said: "I am not going to get over jubilant about this. I have seen arrests down south and they have come to nothing."
Asked if they would go some way to restore his faith in the police investigation - overhauled after serious errors were uncovered in the original RUC probe - he said: "The jury is still out as far as I am concerned."
Further Information
Publisher: THE IRISH NEWS
Ref: IN/0610
Published Date: 03-Sep-03
Related Images
There have been no images archived for this article.