UNACCEPTABLE BREAKDOWN IN PROCEDURES ADMITTED
Unacceptable breakdown in procedures' admitted
INFORMATION from a police informant that the Real IRA was about to move "something" across the border into Northern Ireland three days before the Omagh bomb atrocity never reached Special Branch, Chief Constable Sir Ronnie Flanagan revealed yesterday.
There had been "an unacceptable breakdown in procedures", but he insisted the information "could not have prevented the Omagh attack" and the informant was in any case unreliable and had been caught previously "deliberately fabricating information".
Ombudsman Nuala O'Loan launched her investigation into the Omagh bombing last August after a Sunday newspaper claimed the informant, who goes under the pseudonym Kevin Fulton, had given police information which, if acted upon, could have prevented the Omagh bomb attack which killed 29 people, including a woman heavily pregnant with twins.
The Chief Constable said that, as reported in the Ombudsman's report, Fulton had passed information on supposed dissident republican terrorist activity to his CID handler on five occasions between June and August 1998.
The Ombudsman alleged the information was not given sufficient weight, was not properly handled by police after being received and was not adequately followed up during the Omagh bomb investigation.
However, she reached the conclusion it was unlikely the bombing could have been prevented, even if reasonable action had been taken over the information.
In his response, Sir Ronnie went further. "The Police Service of Northern Ireland's unequivocal conclusions are that Fulton's information could not have prevented the Omagh attack," he said.
He added: "Significant parts of his information, when set against other relevant material available to the police, were either erroneous or implausible; none of it related to Omagh."
Between 1996 and 2000, Fulton had provided CID with information about criminal as opposed to terrorist matters but was dropped when his behaviour became "steadily more erratic and counter-productive".
He had previously been dropped by Special Branch in 1994 as an unreliable informant who had been "deliberately fabricating information".
Fulton occasionally provided his CID handler with information on terrorist-related matters, said Sir Ronnie, and it was passed on to Special Branch for assessment against other intelligence.
Between June and August 1998, there were five meetings when he passed on alleged information about the Real IRA and, in particular, a man referred to as 'Man A in the ombudsman's report and an associate 'B'.
Media speculation that 'A' was a police agent being protected was dismissed as "untrue" by Sir Ronnie. "He is not and never had been" an
informant.
Fulton's CID handler recorded the information supplied during their meetings on contact sheets and forwarded them to the Force Intelligence Bureau for onward transmission to Special Branch.
"Details of three of the five meetings were duly passed on. Details of the other two (for July 23 and August 12 1998) were not," said Sir Ronnie.
"The PSNI conclusion is that, contrary to the Ombudsman's assertion, these never reached Special Branch - and as a result were not assessed by them - in all likelihood because of an administrative error in FIB.
"This represents an unacceptable breakdown in procedures," said Sir Ronnie, who agreed that the information should have been assessed and considered by Special Branch. Systems had been changed to ensure no recurrence.
Nevertheless, said Sir Ronnie, "Fulton never claimed in these contacts with police that he had known of a bomb intended for Omagh".
"None of the information he supplied, accurate or otherwise, provided any link to the Omagh attack, or could in any way have helped to prevent it."
He said covert police operations under way at the time, analysis of the wider intelligence picture and analysis by the Senior Investigating officer in charge of the Omagh investigation, the now retired Det Chief Supt Hamilton Houston, "provide a high degree of confidence that the information concerned was either inaccurate or irrelevant to Omagh."
He said "distortions and inaccuracies" found in information from Fulton illustrated the problems of working with him.
Between June and August he had passed on information about the Real IRA and 'Man A' and 'B'.
Detailing the information Sir Ronnie said that on June 6 and 81998 Fulton reported 'A' was involved with the 'New' IRA; wanted to identify targets from which to steal cash to buy weapons for the IRA; and was looking for coffee grinders (used in the production of home made explosive from fertiliser).
On July 23 Fulton indicated 'A was arranging for the removal of packages believed to contain firearms; was responsible for organising bombs in Newry; had at one time smelt of fertiliser when Fulton met him; and had been supplied with body armour. On August 4 Fulton reported the Real IRA were planning a show of strength.
"On 12 August 1998, Fulton stated that the day before, 'A' had provided a list of weapons he wanted. He also said that the Real IRA was about to move something north over the next few days, and that 'B' was assisting 'A'" said the Chief Constable.
However, he said, police had intelligence that it was Fulton and not 'A who was attempting in June to acquire (deactivated) weapons. He was subsequently arrested but the evidence was insufficient to substantiate criminal charges.
"Further intelligence indicated that he had been purchasing these weapons apparently to re-ingratiate himself with paramilitaries.
"It was Fulton who obtained body armour during this period. He is also believed to be the individual attempting to orchestrate the 'show of strength' in early August."
INFORMATION from a police informant that the Real IRA was about to move "something" across the border into Northern Ireland three days before the Omagh bomb atrocity never reached Special Branch, Chief Constable Sir Ronnie Flanagan revealed yesterday.
There had been "an unacceptable breakdown in procedures", but he insisted the information "could not have prevented the Omagh attack" and the informant was in any case unreliable and had been caught previously "deliberately fabricating information".
Ombudsman Nuala O'Loan launched her investigation into the Omagh bombing last August after a Sunday newspaper claimed the informant, who goes under the pseudonym Kevin Fulton, had given police information which, if acted upon, could have prevented the Omagh bomb attack which killed 29 people, including a woman heavily pregnant with twins.
The Chief Constable said that, as reported in the Ombudsman's report, Fulton had passed information on supposed dissident republican terrorist activity to his CID handler on five occasions between June and August 1998.
The Ombudsman alleged the information was not given sufficient weight, was not properly handled by police after being received and was not adequately followed up during the Omagh bomb investigation.
However, she reached the conclusion it was unlikely the bombing could have been prevented, even if reasonable action had been taken over the information.
In his response, Sir Ronnie went further. "The Police Service of Northern Ireland's unequivocal conclusions are that Fulton's information could not have prevented the Omagh attack," he said.
He added: "Significant parts of his information, when set against other relevant material available to the police, were either erroneous or implausible; none of it related to Omagh."
Between 1996 and 2000, Fulton had provided CID with information about criminal as opposed to terrorist matters but was dropped when his behaviour became "steadily more erratic and counter-productive".
He had previously been dropped by Special Branch in 1994 as an unreliable informant who had been "deliberately fabricating information".
Fulton occasionally provided his CID handler with information on terrorist-related matters, said Sir Ronnie, and it was passed on to Special Branch for assessment against other intelligence.
Between June and August 1998, there were five meetings when he passed on alleged information about the Real IRA and, in particular, a man referred to as 'Man A in the ombudsman's report and an associate 'B'.
Media speculation that 'A' was a police agent being protected was dismissed as "untrue" by Sir Ronnie. "He is not and never had been" an
informant.
Fulton's CID handler recorded the information supplied during their meetings on contact sheets and forwarded them to the Force Intelligence Bureau for onward transmission to Special Branch.
"Details of three of the five meetings were duly passed on. Details of the other two (for July 23 and August 12 1998) were not," said Sir Ronnie.
"The PSNI conclusion is that, contrary to the Ombudsman's assertion, these never reached Special Branch - and as a result were not assessed by them - in all likelihood because of an administrative error in FIB.
"This represents an unacceptable breakdown in procedures," said Sir Ronnie, who agreed that the information should have been assessed and considered by Special Branch. Systems had been changed to ensure no recurrence.
Nevertheless, said Sir Ronnie, "Fulton never claimed in these contacts with police that he had known of a bomb intended for Omagh".
"None of the information he supplied, accurate or otherwise, provided any link to the Omagh attack, or could in any way have helped to prevent it."
He said covert police operations under way at the time, analysis of the wider intelligence picture and analysis by the Senior Investigating officer in charge of the Omagh investigation, the now retired Det Chief Supt Hamilton Houston, "provide a high degree of confidence that the information concerned was either inaccurate or irrelevant to Omagh."
He said "distortions and inaccuracies" found in information from Fulton illustrated the problems of working with him.
Between June and August he had passed on information about the Real IRA and 'Man A' and 'B'.
Detailing the information Sir Ronnie said that on June 6 and 81998 Fulton reported 'A' was involved with the 'New' IRA; wanted to identify targets from which to steal cash to buy weapons for the IRA; and was looking for coffee grinders (used in the production of home made explosive from fertiliser).
On July 23 Fulton indicated 'A was arranging for the removal of packages believed to contain firearms; was responsible for organising bombs in Newry; had at one time smelt of fertiliser when Fulton met him; and had been supplied with body armour. On August 4 Fulton reported the Real IRA were planning a show of strength.
"On 12 August 1998, Fulton stated that the day before, 'A' had provided a list of weapons he wanted. He also said that the Real IRA was about to move something north over the next few days, and that 'B' was assisting 'A'" said the Chief Constable.
However, he said, police had intelligence that it was Fulton and not 'A who was attempting in June to acquire (deactivated) weapons. He was subsequently arrested but the evidence was insufficient to substantiate criminal charges.
"Further intelligence indicated that he had been purchasing these weapons apparently to re-ingratiate himself with paramilitaries.
"It was Fulton who obtained body armour during this period. He is also believed to be the individual attempting to orchestrate the 'show of strength' in early August."
Further Information
Publisher: NEWS LETTER
Ref: NL/424
Published Date: 25-Jan-02
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