12 QUIZZED IN OMAGH BOMB BLAST PROBE
12 quizzed in Omagh bomb blast probe
TWELVE people were still being questioned last night (Wednesday) on both sides of the border in relation to the Omagh bomb blast. Six were being questioned by Gardai in the Republic, while a further six were under questioning by the RUC at Gough Barracks, Armagh.
Ten arrests came early on Monday morning in a coordinated operation on both sides of the border.
Near Cullaville, Co. Louth, armed Special Branch officers arrested four people in the morning, and three later that day.
The six men and one woman were taken to Garda stations in Carrickmacross and Monaghan. A man was released without charge yesterday evening.
A spokesman at Garda Headquarters in Dublin told the Tyrone Constitution yesterday afternoon that those arrested were being questioned under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act. By that stage, their initial period of detention had already been extended and they could be held for a total of 72 hours, he said.
It is understood those arrested are being questioned about membership of a proscribed organization, and about the theft of motor vehicles. The car used to carry the bomb to Omagh was stolen in Carrickmacross two nights before the bombing.
It has been reported that materials seized during the arrest operation were undergoing forensic tests in Dublin.
Those arrested are said to include four brothers from Castleblayney.
At the same time as the Guards were making their arrests in Co. Louth, RUC officers swooped on addresses in Co. Armagh, arresting six men.
The RUC believes that the 500lb bomb exploded by the Real IRA in Omagh on August 15 was assembled in South Armagh.
A spokeswoman said those arrested could be held for up to seven days.
The investigation into the Omagh blast is said to be one of the largest single police operations in Ireland. Around 60 detectives on either side of the border are working on the case.
Released
Meanwhile, three children and a woman injured in the Market Street bomb have been released from hospital in the past week, leaving a total of 15 patients in wards across Northern Ireland.
A young boy from outside Omagh left the Royal Victoria Hospital on Monday, while a Spanish boy was discharged the previous Friday.
Of the patients remaining in the hospital, two women are still critical, another woman is making "reasonable progress", and a man is in a stable condition.
A girl and a woman have been released from the Ulster Hospital in Dundonald, while another girl remains along with four women. The five patients are comfortable.
The situation in the Province's other hospitals has not changed in the past week. At the Tyrone County, two female patients remain in a stable condition.
One young woman is being treated at the Erne in Enniskillen, and a man and a woman remain in Altnaglevin in Londonderry. These patients are also described as stable.
And another young woman remains in Musgrave Park Hospital in Belfast where her condition is described as satisfactory and improving.
TWELVE people were still being questioned last night (Wednesday) on both sides of the border in relation to the Omagh bomb blast. Six were being questioned by Gardai in the Republic, while a further six were under questioning by the RUC at Gough Barracks, Armagh.
Ten arrests came early on Monday morning in a coordinated operation on both sides of the border.
Near Cullaville, Co. Louth, armed Special Branch officers arrested four people in the morning, and three later that day.
The six men and one woman were taken to Garda stations in Carrickmacross and Monaghan. A man was released without charge yesterday evening.
A spokesman at Garda Headquarters in Dublin told the Tyrone Constitution yesterday afternoon that those arrested were being questioned under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act. By that stage, their initial period of detention had already been extended and they could be held for a total of 72 hours, he said.
It is understood those arrested are being questioned about membership of a proscribed organization, and about the theft of motor vehicles. The car used to carry the bomb to Omagh was stolen in Carrickmacross two nights before the bombing.
It has been reported that materials seized during the arrest operation were undergoing forensic tests in Dublin.
Those arrested are said to include four brothers from Castleblayney.
At the same time as the Guards were making their arrests in Co. Louth, RUC officers swooped on addresses in Co. Armagh, arresting six men.
The RUC believes that the 500lb bomb exploded by the Real IRA in Omagh on August 15 was assembled in South Armagh.
A spokeswoman said those arrested could be held for up to seven days.
The investigation into the Omagh blast is said to be one of the largest single police operations in Ireland. Around 60 detectives on either side of the border are working on the case.
Released
Meanwhile, three children and a woman injured in the Market Street bomb have been released from hospital in the past week, leaving a total of 15 patients in wards across Northern Ireland.
A young boy from outside Omagh left the Royal Victoria Hospital on Monday, while a Spanish boy was discharged the previous Friday.
Of the patients remaining in the hospital, two women are still critical, another woman is making "reasonable progress", and a man is in a stable condition.
A girl and a woman have been released from the Ulster Hospital in Dundonald, while another girl remains along with four women. The five patients are comfortable.
The situation in the Province's other hospitals has not changed in the past week. At the Tyrone County, two female patients remain in a stable condition.
One young woman is being treated at the Erne in Enniskillen, and a man and a woman remain in Altnaglevin in Londonderry. These patients are also described as stable.
And another young woman remains in Musgrave Park Hospital in Belfast where her condition is described as satisfactory and improving.
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE CONSTITUTION
Ref: TC/1212
Published Date: 24-Sep-98
Related Images
There have been no images archived for this article.