BOMBERS COULD NOT HAVE BEEN ACCURATE WITH TIMER
Bombers could not have been accurate with timer
BY STAFF REPORTERS
THE car bomb that ripped through Omagh's Market Street just over two years ago, could have contained as much as 440lbs of home made explosives a lethal mixture of fertiliser and sugar, the inquest has heard.
A forensic scientist told the hearing that the explosion had resulted in staff sifting through the contents of 13 skips, 17 wheelie bins, 11 flip-top bins and an assortment of bags, searching for clues as to what device had been planted in the town.
While he was able to reveal that the bomb had contained 150 to 200kgs a maximum of 440lbs of improvised explosives, he was unwilling to be drawn as to what group he thought had planted the device other than to say he believed a dissident Republican group had carried out the bombing.
In complicated and highly detailed evidence, Mr. Dennis McAuley revealed how the component parts of the bomb were assembled and how the controls of the device had been glued into a plastic lunchbox with command wires leading from the front of the car to the boot, where the explosives had been packed.
The device included a booster device a command cord and explosives packed into a length of thick metal scaffold tubing which was used by the bombers to ensure that the bomb detonated.
More sickening was his evidence about the timer and switches on the command box. He said the controls had a built-in safety feature which allowed the bombers to drive the device into Omagh without risk to themselves.
Holding aloft a similar lunch-box with the command buttons still intact, he said the box had been removed from another bomb which had failed to detonate.
However, he believed that the control box was similar to that used in the Omagh bombing, and he went on to explain how the bombers would have been able to pre-set the toggle switches and turn back the timer to allow them a maximum of two hours to get the bomb into the town, park it and leave the area unscathed.
He said there was no way that they could have been accurate with the timer, as it did not have a display of any kind.
The timer was simply a black knob which could be turned through 360 degrees giving a maximum of two hours before the electrical charge from the batteries the plastic container held, sent a charge to the booster and the explosives. It was the same as any non-graduated timer a hobby enthusiast could buy if they required a timer switch to turn the power on and off, for example to a train set.
He also revealed how the device contained an LED, a small red light which would light up if the controls were touched and the timer not set, which would warn the terrorist not to proceed any further.
The charge for the bomb was supplied from two 1.5volt batteries and one 9volt battery, similar to those found in a camera or smoke detector.
During cross-examination, it ernerged that although not intentional, and not a primary concern of the bombers, the booster tube would have become shrapnel. It was also revealed a piece of shrapnel from the car bomb was found in the grounds of Scotts Feeds mill off Mountjoy Road - 300m away from the site of detonation as the crow flies.
The inquest was told by an Army bomb disposal expert that the main aim of security personnel as laid down in guidance, would be to get people to a distance of 200m away from and out of sight-line of a device, but because of the absence of a device it could not be established where the point of focus was in terms of beginning to clear the town of civilians.
Mr. Adam John Modd said the unclear location meant that if the device was anywhere within a 200m radius of the Courthouse, it meant that the possible area to be cleared was up to 600m.
He said that clearance had a great deal to do with time-management and ensuring people were behind hard cover such as brick buildings out of the way of glass. He said that he had been told by a member of staff that there was a bomb warning in the town relating to the High Street area. However, although he and the other members of his team were in vehicles on stand by to be deployed to deal with a device if it was found, they only left the barracks after it had detonated.
He said that the bomb disposal team only left the barracks if a device was found, and he stressed that all bomb warnings were taken seriously whether they had a coded warning or not. The warning did not affect the manner in which they reacted.
In cross-examination he also revealed that he could not deploy men to a location if he did not have a target to "attack".
"We will not swing into action unless it is found or has gone off. We have many, many bomb warnings. We cannot deploy to every one of them," he said.
He also said that he was not aware of any Army training or education programmes given to members of the RUC.
Day trip
The week began with the heartrending evidence of how two young boys from Buncrana, Shaun McLaughlin and Oran Doherty, died while on a day trip to the town.
The bus driver who ferried the contingent to Omagh, told the Inquest of how a group of frightened young children both Spanish and Irish returned to the bus to tell him of the bomb scare, and how, after the bomb exploded, he repeatedly tried to get into the town to search for the other children.
He said he found more of the children, who were hysterical, at Tyrone County Hospital, and those who were able to return home did not get back to Buncrana until 3am. They should have left Omagh after a pleasant day out at 4.15pm the previous day.
The harrowing evidence was followed by a press conference, at which Buncrana priest, Fr. Shane Bradley, spoke on behalf of the bereaved families.
He said the families appealed for anyone who knew anything about the atrocity to ask themselves: "What if it were your son or daughter, wife or granny that happened to be on the street that day - would you still feel the same?"
Although for many the worst aspect of the Inquest is over, and people across Ireland, north and south, as well as in Madrid, know how their loved ones came to be killed or injured, there is still the hurdle of the debate on the scope of the Inquest and the role of the RUC-to be faced.
Legal arguments have been submitted from a number of the legal team representing the families as well as from the barrister representing the interests of the RUC Chief Constable, Sir Ronnie Flanagan.
However, it is obvious from the statements made by the families that they bear no ill-will against the police who found themselves on the ground that day, and many have been at pains to thank the RUC and Army for the caring manner in which they carried out their work and for the way they cared for those they helped to hospital and those who died.
BY STAFF REPORTERS
THE car bomb that ripped through Omagh's Market Street just over two years ago, could have contained as much as 440lbs of home made explosives a lethal mixture of fertiliser and sugar, the inquest has heard.
A forensic scientist told the hearing that the explosion had resulted in staff sifting through the contents of 13 skips, 17 wheelie bins, 11 flip-top bins and an assortment of bags, searching for clues as to what device had been planted in the town.
While he was able to reveal that the bomb had contained 150 to 200kgs a maximum of 440lbs of improvised explosives, he was unwilling to be drawn as to what group he thought had planted the device other than to say he believed a dissident Republican group had carried out the bombing.
In complicated and highly detailed evidence, Mr. Dennis McAuley revealed how the component parts of the bomb were assembled and how the controls of the device had been glued into a plastic lunchbox with command wires leading from the front of the car to the boot, where the explosives had been packed.
The device included a booster device a command cord and explosives packed into a length of thick metal scaffold tubing which was used by the bombers to ensure that the bomb detonated.
More sickening was his evidence about the timer and switches on the command box. He said the controls had a built-in safety feature which allowed the bombers to drive the device into Omagh without risk to themselves.
Holding aloft a similar lunch-box with the command buttons still intact, he said the box had been removed from another bomb which had failed to detonate.
However, he believed that the control box was similar to that used in the Omagh bombing, and he went on to explain how the bombers would have been able to pre-set the toggle switches and turn back the timer to allow them a maximum of two hours to get the bomb into the town, park it and leave the area unscathed.
He said there was no way that they could have been accurate with the timer, as it did not have a display of any kind.
The timer was simply a black knob which could be turned through 360 degrees giving a maximum of two hours before the electrical charge from the batteries the plastic container held, sent a charge to the booster and the explosives. It was the same as any non-graduated timer a hobby enthusiast could buy if they required a timer switch to turn the power on and off, for example to a train set.
He also revealed how the device contained an LED, a small red light which would light up if the controls were touched and the timer not set, which would warn the terrorist not to proceed any further.
The charge for the bomb was supplied from two 1.5volt batteries and one 9volt battery, similar to those found in a camera or smoke detector.
During cross-examination, it ernerged that although not intentional, and not a primary concern of the bombers, the booster tube would have become shrapnel. It was also revealed a piece of shrapnel from the car bomb was found in the grounds of Scotts Feeds mill off Mountjoy Road - 300m away from the site of detonation as the crow flies.
The inquest was told by an Army bomb disposal expert that the main aim of security personnel as laid down in guidance, would be to get people to a distance of 200m away from and out of sight-line of a device, but because of the absence of a device it could not be established where the point of focus was in terms of beginning to clear the town of civilians.
Mr. Adam John Modd said the unclear location meant that if the device was anywhere within a 200m radius of the Courthouse, it meant that the possible area to be cleared was up to 600m.
He said that clearance had a great deal to do with time-management and ensuring people were behind hard cover such as brick buildings out of the way of glass. He said that he had been told by a member of staff that there was a bomb warning in the town relating to the High Street area. However, although he and the other members of his team were in vehicles on stand by to be deployed to deal with a device if it was found, they only left the barracks after it had detonated.
He said that the bomb disposal team only left the barracks if a device was found, and he stressed that all bomb warnings were taken seriously whether they had a coded warning or not. The warning did not affect the manner in which they reacted.
In cross-examination he also revealed that he could not deploy men to a location if he did not have a target to "attack".
"We will not swing into action unless it is found or has gone off. We have many, many bomb warnings. We cannot deploy to every one of them," he said.
He also said that he was not aware of any Army training or education programmes given to members of the RUC.
Day trip
The week began with the heartrending evidence of how two young boys from Buncrana, Shaun McLaughlin and Oran Doherty, died while on a day trip to the town.
The bus driver who ferried the contingent to Omagh, told the Inquest of how a group of frightened young children both Spanish and Irish returned to the bus to tell him of the bomb scare, and how, after the bomb exploded, he repeatedly tried to get into the town to search for the other children.
He said he found more of the children, who were hysterical, at Tyrone County Hospital, and those who were able to return home did not get back to Buncrana until 3am. They should have left Omagh after a pleasant day out at 4.15pm the previous day.
The harrowing evidence was followed by a press conference, at which Buncrana priest, Fr. Shane Bradley, spoke on behalf of the bereaved families.
He said the families appealed for anyone who knew anything about the atrocity to ask themselves: "What if it were your son or daughter, wife or granny that happened to be on the street that day - would you still feel the same?"
Although for many the worst aspect of the Inquest is over, and people across Ireland, north and south, as well as in Madrid, know how their loved ones came to be killed or injured, there is still the hurdle of the debate on the scope of the Inquest and the role of the RUC-to be faced.
Legal arguments have been submitted from a number of the legal team representing the families as well as from the barrister representing the interests of the RUC Chief Constable, Sir Ronnie Flanagan.
However, it is obvious from the statements made by the families that they bear no ill-will against the police who found themselves on the ground that day, and many have been at pains to thank the RUC and Army for the caring manner in which they carried out their work and for the way they cared for those they helped to hospital and those who died.
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE CONSTITUTION
Ref: TC/1555
Published Date: 28-Sep-00
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