BOMBER WEPT WHEN HE HEARD BLAST DEATH TOLL
Bomber wept when he heard blast death toll
ONE of the Omagh bombers broke down in tears as he discovered the horrifying death toll from the Real IRA car bomb.
The man, involved in constructing the 500lb device, wept-openly in a south Armagh pub as he watched news of the massacre unfolding on TV on the evening of August 15, 1998.
Police investigating the bombing learned of his tears for Omagh during their inquiries.
A source said: "He cried and cried at the pub in front of other customers and was said to be inconsolable. He clearly thought that there would be more damage caused than casualties claimed.
"However he has been responsible for other murders over the years so I think his tears were more for his own self pity and fears of what would happen to him.
"The Real IRA would have been delighted if 29 police officers or soldiers had been killed in Omagh or even a small number of civilians with them but they never imagined so many innocent civilians could die.
"But they have shown no remorse because they have kept up their terror campaign and still show as much disregard for human life as they did with their reckless actions in Omagh and the inaccurate telephone warnings they gave."
On the afternoon of August 15, 1998 the Real IRA left a 500lb bomb in a Vauxhall Cavalier at Market Street which exploded at 3.04pm.
In bomb warnings made before the explosion the terrorists claimed it was left 200 yards away from the town's courthouse when in fact it was 365 yards away.
Unwittingly police had evacuated the area around the courthouse and moved people into the path of the bomb because of the misleading warnings.
A total of 17 terrorists were involved in the outrage. One of the chief suspects, from Dundalk, Co Louth, has since died from cancer.
He co-ordinated a series of telephone warnings made just before the explosion and had gone on the run after the August 1998 atrocity.
At one stage detectives were ready to exhume his body to collect DNA.
The plan was called off when police found his profile from a previous arrest.
At least six members of the Omagh bomb gang had been in jail for other terrorist offences in recent years but have since been released.
ONE of the Omagh bombers broke down in tears as he discovered the horrifying death toll from the Real IRA car bomb.
The man, involved in constructing the 500lb device, wept-openly in a south Armagh pub as he watched news of the massacre unfolding on TV on the evening of August 15, 1998.
Police investigating the bombing learned of his tears for Omagh during their inquiries.
A source said: "He cried and cried at the pub in front of other customers and was said to be inconsolable. He clearly thought that there would be more damage caused than casualties claimed.
"However he has been responsible for other murders over the years so I think his tears were more for his own self pity and fears of what would happen to him.
"The Real IRA would have been delighted if 29 police officers or soldiers had been killed in Omagh or even a small number of civilians with them but they never imagined so many innocent civilians could die.
"But they have shown no remorse because they have kept up their terror campaign and still show as much disregard for human life as they did with their reckless actions in Omagh and the inaccurate telephone warnings they gave."
On the afternoon of August 15, 1998 the Real IRA left a 500lb bomb in a Vauxhall Cavalier at Market Street which exploded at 3.04pm.
In bomb warnings made before the explosion the terrorists claimed it was left 200 yards away from the town's courthouse when in fact it was 365 yards away.
Unwittingly police had evacuated the area around the courthouse and moved people into the path of the bomb because of the misleading warnings.
A total of 17 terrorists were involved in the outrage. One of the chief suspects, from Dundalk, Co Louth, has since died from cancer.
He co-ordinated a series of telephone warnings made just before the explosion and had gone on the run after the August 1998 atrocity.
At one stage detectives were ready to exhume his body to collect DNA.
The plan was called off when police found his profile from a previous arrest.
At least six members of the Omagh bomb gang had been in jail for other terrorist offences in recent years but have since been released.
Further Information
Publisher: SUNDAY LIFE
Ref: SL10An/01
Published Date: 10-Aug-08
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