WE'RE CLOSING IN ON BOMBERS
We're closing in on bombers'
SECURITY forces are "closing in" on the Omagh bombers but need proof, according to Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern.
He warned against acting on hearsay - but said security forces were engaged in unprecedented cooperation to solve the crime.
Last week, Tory MP Andrew Hunter postponed plans to "name and shame", using House of Commons privilege, the man he believed responsible for the deaths last August of 29 people in Ulster's worst terrorist atrocity.
He took his decision after appeals from Northern Ireland Secretary Mo Mowlam and RUC Chief Constable Sir Ronnie Flanagan, although he said his own legal advisers had said naming the person would not prejudice future legal action.
Mr Hunter, MP for Basingstoke, said he was not ruling out naming the person in future, and was seeking further legal advice.
Mr Ahern told Sky's Sunday with Adam Boulton in an interview broadcast yesterday that security forces "cannot be certain" who was behind the bombing.
"I think they are closing in on this group. I think they have an awful lot of good intelligence.
"But they need more than that. They need to be able to prove it," he said.
He added: "The security forces, like they never have before, are cooperating to try to find the perpetrators of Omagh."
He had seen speculation about the bombers' names, but had heard similar claims and stories about many cases over the years: "That's all hearsay. None of those matters are proven."
SECURITY forces are "closing in" on the Omagh bombers but need proof, according to Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern.
He warned against acting on hearsay - but said security forces were engaged in unprecedented cooperation to solve the crime.
Last week, Tory MP Andrew Hunter postponed plans to "name and shame", using House of Commons privilege, the man he believed responsible for the deaths last August of 29 people in Ulster's worst terrorist atrocity.
He took his decision after appeals from Northern Ireland Secretary Mo Mowlam and RUC Chief Constable Sir Ronnie Flanagan, although he said his own legal advisers had said naming the person would not prejudice future legal action.
Mr Hunter, MP for Basingstoke, said he was not ruling out naming the person in future, and was seeking further legal advice.
Mr Ahern told Sky's Sunday with Adam Boulton in an interview broadcast yesterday that security forces "cannot be certain" who was behind the bombing.
"I think they are closing in on this group. I think they have an awful lot of good intelligence.
"But they need more than that. They need to be able to prove it," he said.
He added: "The security forces, like they never have before, are cooperating to try to find the perpetrators of Omagh."
He had seen speculation about the bombers' names, but had heard similar claims and stories about many cases over the years: "That's all hearsay. None of those matters are proven."
Further Information
Publisher: NEWS LETTER
Ref: NL/187
Published Date: 25-Jan-99
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