IRA MAN DENIES ROLE IN OMAGH
IRA man denies role in Omagh
The Smithwick Tribunal
By Rebecca Black in Dublin
A CONVICTED IRA bombmaker accused by a key agent of being involved in the Omagh bombing has denied the allegation.
Patrick 'Mooch' Blair appeared at the Smithwick Tribunal yesterday to respond to a number of claims by former army and police agent Kevin Fulton.
Mr Fulton is a key witness to the tribunal which is investigating claims of collusion between members of the garda and the IRA.
Specifically, it is examining if the IRA team received a tip-off from a garda when they murdered chief superintendent Harry Breen and superintendent Bob Buchanan on March 20. 1989. minutes after they left a meeting at Dundalk garda station and were travelling back to Northern Ireland.
Blair agreed with senior counsel for the tribunal Mary Laverty that he had been active in the IRA from the 1970s to the 1990s for the south Down unit.
In 1975. a court in Northern Ireland sentenced Blair to 15 years for attempted murder. He was released in 1982 and moved to Dundalk.
Blair was also convicted in the Republic of Ireland in 2003 for firearms offences.
When asked if he was a bomb-maker, he replied that he had been convicted of that, but denied a claim made by Mr Fulton to the former PSNI Ombudsman Nuala O'Loan that he had seen Blair shortly before the Omagh bomb, that he had smelt of fertiliser and had been looking for coffee grinders - often used in bomb making.
Blair claimed that Mr Fulton was a "fantasist" and described him as "a nutcase".
He offered to take a lie detector test to prove he was telling the truth and that he had not been involved in the Omagh bomb attack.
DUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson used parliamentary privilege in 2002 to name Blair as one of the Omagh bombers.
Blair confirmed that he had known Mr Fulton and that Mr Fulton sometimes drove him, but he dismissed him as a "gopher" as opposed to a sworn IRA volunteer.
Mr Fulton's barrister Neil Rafferty asked Blair if Mr Fulton was now an embarrassment to him. Blair said he was "a regret".
Mr Fulton, in his statement to the tribunal, said that following the murders of chief supt Breen and supt Buchanan, he was at Blair's house and heard a third person say "our friend" was involved, with the inference being he was referring to a member of the garda.
Again Blair dismissed this. He claimed on the day of the murders he had been in Dundalk town between 12 and 5pm at the bookmakers and bar.
He said he heard about the murders at the bus stop but didn't know who had been killed. He said Mr Fulton was not at his house that day.
Blair also told the tribunal that he did not know any garda and had never received help from any garda officers.
Mr Rafferty asked him if he had. would he be likely to tell the tribunal. Blair said he would not give up a friend.
The Smithwick Tribunal
By Rebecca Black in Dublin
A CONVICTED IRA bombmaker accused by a key agent of being involved in the Omagh bombing has denied the allegation.
Patrick 'Mooch' Blair appeared at the Smithwick Tribunal yesterday to respond to a number of claims by former army and police agent Kevin Fulton.
Mr Fulton is a key witness to the tribunal which is investigating claims of collusion between members of the garda and the IRA.
Specifically, it is examining if the IRA team received a tip-off from a garda when they murdered chief superintendent Harry Breen and superintendent Bob Buchanan on March 20. 1989. minutes after they left a meeting at Dundalk garda station and were travelling back to Northern Ireland.
Blair agreed with senior counsel for the tribunal Mary Laverty that he had been active in the IRA from the 1970s to the 1990s for the south Down unit.
In 1975. a court in Northern Ireland sentenced Blair to 15 years for attempted murder. He was released in 1982 and moved to Dundalk.
Blair was also convicted in the Republic of Ireland in 2003 for firearms offences.
When asked if he was a bomb-maker, he replied that he had been convicted of that, but denied a claim made by Mr Fulton to the former PSNI Ombudsman Nuala O'Loan that he had seen Blair shortly before the Omagh bomb, that he had smelt of fertiliser and had been looking for coffee grinders - often used in bomb making.
Blair claimed that Mr Fulton was a "fantasist" and described him as "a nutcase".
He offered to take a lie detector test to prove he was telling the truth and that he had not been involved in the Omagh bomb attack.
DUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson used parliamentary privilege in 2002 to name Blair as one of the Omagh bombers.
Blair confirmed that he had known Mr Fulton and that Mr Fulton sometimes drove him, but he dismissed him as a "gopher" as opposed to a sworn IRA volunteer.
Mr Fulton's barrister Neil Rafferty asked Blair if Mr Fulton was now an embarrassment to him. Blair said he was "a regret".
Mr Fulton, in his statement to the tribunal, said that following the murders of chief supt Breen and supt Buchanan, he was at Blair's house and heard a third person say "our friend" was involved, with the inference being he was referring to a member of the garda.
Again Blair dismissed this. He claimed on the day of the murders he had been in Dundalk town between 12 and 5pm at the bookmakers and bar.
He said he heard about the murders at the bus stop but didn't know who had been killed. He said Mr Fulton was not at his house that day.
Blair also told the tribunal that he did not know any garda and had never received help from any garda officers.
Mr Rafferty asked him if he had. would he be likely to tell the tribunal. Blair said he would not give up a friend.
Further Information
Publisher: NEWS LETTER
Ref: NL/828
Published Date: 30-Nov-11
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