POLICE CHIEF PRAISES PUBLIC RESPONSE SEARCH FOR EVIDENCE
Police chief praises public response in search for evidence
POLICE on Saturday staged a reconstruction of the events leading up to the Omagh bombing, in a bid to jog shoppers' memories and glean information about the identity of the bombers.
The local RUC sub-divisional commander, Superintendent James Baxter, said the public response to the reconstruction had been good, and vowed that the bombers would be tracked down.
And he said any piece of information, no matter how small, could be vital to the investigation.
Plain-clothed officers drove around the town centre in a car identical to the maroon Vauxhall Cavalier, which, two weeks earlier had been carrying its deadly 500lb cargo. It exploded at 3.10pm, killing 28 people, and wounding hundreds more.
During the reconstruction. detectives handed out leaflets and questioned shoppers, who may have been in town on the day of the bombing, in an attempt to piece together the exact movements of the Cavalier car.
Police now believe the car, which had been stolen two days previously in Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan, was abandoned outside S. D. Kells drapers in Market Street at around 2.20pm.
And they are keen to speak to anyone who saw two men get out of the car, registration number MDZ 5211, and walk down Campsie or the Dublin Road, possibly heading towards the Dunnes Stores car park. It is understood they could have got into another vehicle waiting in that area.
Police also want to trace the driver of a box-type van. with a light-coloured cab and a darker rear section, with roller-shuttered doors at the back.
It was apparently seen on Campsie Road heading into Omagh at about 2.20pm.
Supt. Baxter praised the reaction of the public to Saturday's operation, adding: "We will pursue this investigation with the utmost vigour for as long as it takes to ensure that those responsible are caught.
"Reconstructions always bear fruit, and we must pursue every avenue open to us."
He said he was sure that people somewhere could provide the police with the vital clues needed for the investigation.
And, in a direct appeal to those who were in the town on August 15, he said: "Did you see this vehicle parked in Market Street?
Did you see those people who planted this bomb and so horrifically maimed and murdered people in this town?"
He said the police needed to hear from anyone who could give descriptions of the two men seen getting out of the Vauxhall Cavalier, adding: "We need your assistance to bring those responsible to justice.
Meanwhile, the RUC hopes to identify the bomb-maker behind the Omagh blast, after reconstructing the timer used in the device.
More than 30 tonnes of rubble taken from the scene of the explosion have been sifted through by officers from Scotland Yard's specialist anti-terrorist branch.
And RUC Chief Constable, Ronnie Flanagan, has disclosed that the timing power unit (TPU) was similar to six others used in recent attacks in Northern Ireland by the Real IRA.
He revealed that all the TPUs were packed into identical plastic sandwich boxes with turquoise lids, and the name 'Addis' on top.
And he appealed to anyone in the border areas who may have sold a consignment of such boxes in the last six months to contact either the RUC or the Garda.
Paying tribute to the officers who had sifted through the rubble from the bomb site, Mr Flanagan said their painstaking efforts had resulted in the recovery of a "tremendous amount of valuable evidence".
"We have been able virtually to reconstruct the timing power unit that was used in this bomb," he said.
"I have no doubt that this, together with all the other lines of inquiry we are pursuing, will lead us to the people who detonated that device with such devastating effect in Omagh."
He went on to say that the police were determined to bring to justice the people who carried out the atrocity, and were determined to "leave no stone unturned".
He also appealed for information about the false number plates attached to the car carrying the bomb.
"Someone had to manufacture those number plates. And I would appeal to anyone who has a small garage on the border who may have made these to get in touch with us," he said.
He added that the police had received tremendous assistance from the public so far, but more was needed to bring the perpetrators of the atrocity to justice.
Anyone with information about the Omagh bombing is asked to contact the incident room at Omagh 246979 or 246177.
POLICE on Saturday staged a reconstruction of the events leading up to the Omagh bombing, in a bid to jog shoppers' memories and glean information about the identity of the bombers.
The local RUC sub-divisional commander, Superintendent James Baxter, said the public response to the reconstruction had been good, and vowed that the bombers would be tracked down.
And he said any piece of information, no matter how small, could be vital to the investigation.
Plain-clothed officers drove around the town centre in a car identical to the maroon Vauxhall Cavalier, which, two weeks earlier had been carrying its deadly 500lb cargo. It exploded at 3.10pm, killing 28 people, and wounding hundreds more.
During the reconstruction. detectives handed out leaflets and questioned shoppers, who may have been in town on the day of the bombing, in an attempt to piece together the exact movements of the Cavalier car.
Police now believe the car, which had been stolen two days previously in Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan, was abandoned outside S. D. Kells drapers in Market Street at around 2.20pm.
And they are keen to speak to anyone who saw two men get out of the car, registration number MDZ 5211, and walk down Campsie or the Dublin Road, possibly heading towards the Dunnes Stores car park. It is understood they could have got into another vehicle waiting in that area.
Police also want to trace the driver of a box-type van. with a light-coloured cab and a darker rear section, with roller-shuttered doors at the back.
It was apparently seen on Campsie Road heading into Omagh at about 2.20pm.
Supt. Baxter praised the reaction of the public to Saturday's operation, adding: "We will pursue this investigation with the utmost vigour for as long as it takes to ensure that those responsible are caught.
"Reconstructions always bear fruit, and we must pursue every avenue open to us."
He said he was sure that people somewhere could provide the police with the vital clues needed for the investigation.
And, in a direct appeal to those who were in the town on August 15, he said: "Did you see this vehicle parked in Market Street?
Did you see those people who planted this bomb and so horrifically maimed and murdered people in this town?"
He said the police needed to hear from anyone who could give descriptions of the two men seen getting out of the Vauxhall Cavalier, adding: "We need your assistance to bring those responsible to justice.
Meanwhile, the RUC hopes to identify the bomb-maker behind the Omagh blast, after reconstructing the timer used in the device.
More than 30 tonnes of rubble taken from the scene of the explosion have been sifted through by officers from Scotland Yard's specialist anti-terrorist branch.
And RUC Chief Constable, Ronnie Flanagan, has disclosed that the timing power unit (TPU) was similar to six others used in recent attacks in Northern Ireland by the Real IRA.
He revealed that all the TPUs were packed into identical plastic sandwich boxes with turquoise lids, and the name 'Addis' on top.
And he appealed to anyone in the border areas who may have sold a consignment of such boxes in the last six months to contact either the RUC or the Garda.
Paying tribute to the officers who had sifted through the rubble from the bomb site, Mr Flanagan said their painstaking efforts had resulted in the recovery of a "tremendous amount of valuable evidence".
"We have been able virtually to reconstruct the timing power unit that was used in this bomb," he said.
"I have no doubt that this, together with all the other lines of inquiry we are pursuing, will lead us to the people who detonated that device with such devastating effect in Omagh."
He went on to say that the police were determined to bring to justice the people who carried out the atrocity, and were determined to "leave no stone unturned".
He also appealed for information about the false number plates attached to the car carrying the bomb.
"Someone had to manufacture those number plates. And I would appeal to anyone who has a small garage on the border who may have made these to get in touch with us," he said.
He added that the police had received tremendous assistance from the public so far, but more was needed to bring the perpetrators of the atrocity to justice.
Anyone with information about the Omagh bombing is asked to contact the incident room at Omagh 246979 or 246177.
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE CONSTITUTION
Ref: TC/0523
Published Date: 03-Sep-98
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