OMAGH RELATIVES CONTINUE TO PRESS FOR MEETING WITH MI5 HEAD
Omagh relatives continue to press for meeting with MI5 head
THE families of the Omagh bomb victims will continue to press for a meeting with the head of MI5, Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller, in the wake of damaging allegations that her agency withheld vital anti-terrorist intelligence from police in Northern Ireland in the months before the atrocity.
The Omagh Support and Self-Help Group received a letter last week from the director-general of MI5 saying that she was 'unclear as to why the group should wish to meet me'.
The group had asked for the meeting before the PSNI revealed that her agency did not tell the RUC about a potential dissident plot to bomb Omagh in 1998 - a dispute to which she referred to in the letter.
Now the head of the group, Michael Gallagher, said it was more incumbent on her to listen to the families' concerns.
Last month, senior PSNI officer told the bereaved families that MI5 did not tell the RUC about a warning that Omagh was a dissident republican target four months before the blast that killed 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins.
Following these revelations, Sir Hugh Orde, PSNI chief constable, told the Policing Board that the MI5 information would not have helped the inquiry into the murder, but he would not comment directly on how it may have served as a warning.
In her letter, Dame Manningham-Buller said she regretted the distress the situation had caused the families.
She wrote: "It might seem odd if I did not touch on the recent publicity over the Omagh bombing.
"The Chief Constable made a clear statement to the Policing Board on the first of March that the Security Service did not withhold intelligence that was relevant or would have progressed the Omagh inquiry. I have nothing to add.
"I recognise that these allegations aired in the media are likely to have caused concern and much regret the added distress this will have caused the Omagh families."
Mr Gallagher, whose son Aiden (21) died in the bombing, said the group would continue to insist it met with the head of MI5.
He said: "There have been concerns raised in the public domain. The least she can do is meet the families, listen to what they have to say, and respond to them. That's all we're asking her to do.
"This is a lady who is no more important than the Prime Minister and the Taoiseach, and they haven't refused to meet us.
"We are not saying that MI5 was holding back information that may have helped the Omagh inquiry.
"They withheld information that may or may not have changed the outcome of August 15. The RUC had the right to that information and they had the right to every chance to try and avert what happened."
Mr Gallagher revealed that the Omagh Support and Self-Help Group would be meeting with Sir Hugh Orde in early April to discuss the MI5 revelations, as well as other issues prevalent to the Omagh bombing.
THE families of the Omagh bomb victims will continue to press for a meeting with the head of MI5, Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller, in the wake of damaging allegations that her agency withheld vital anti-terrorist intelligence from police in Northern Ireland in the months before the atrocity.
The Omagh Support and Self-Help Group received a letter last week from the director-general of MI5 saying that she was 'unclear as to why the group should wish to meet me'.
The group had asked for the meeting before the PSNI revealed that her agency did not tell the RUC about a potential dissident plot to bomb Omagh in 1998 - a dispute to which she referred to in the letter.
Now the head of the group, Michael Gallagher, said it was more incumbent on her to listen to the families' concerns.
Last month, senior PSNI officer told the bereaved families that MI5 did not tell the RUC about a warning that Omagh was a dissident republican target four months before the blast that killed 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins.
Following these revelations, Sir Hugh Orde, PSNI chief constable, told the Policing Board that the MI5 information would not have helped the inquiry into the murder, but he would not comment directly on how it may have served as a warning.
In her letter, Dame Manningham-Buller said she regretted the distress the situation had caused the families.
She wrote: "It might seem odd if I did not touch on the recent publicity over the Omagh bombing.
"The Chief Constable made a clear statement to the Policing Board on the first of March that the Security Service did not withhold intelligence that was relevant or would have progressed the Omagh inquiry. I have nothing to add.
"I recognise that these allegations aired in the media are likely to have caused concern and much regret the added distress this will have caused the Omagh families."
Mr Gallagher, whose son Aiden (21) died in the bombing, said the group would continue to insist it met with the head of MI5.
He said: "There have been concerns raised in the public domain. The least she can do is meet the families, listen to what they have to say, and respond to them. That's all we're asking her to do.
"This is a lady who is no more important than the Prime Minister and the Taoiseach, and they haven't refused to meet us.
"We are not saying that MI5 was holding back information that may have helped the Omagh inquiry.
"They withheld information that may or may not have changed the outcome of August 15. The RUC had the right to that information and they had the right to every chance to try and avert what happened."
Mr Gallagher revealed that the Omagh Support and Self-Help Group would be meeting with Sir Hugh Orde in early April to discuss the MI5 revelations, as well as other issues prevalent to the Omagh bombing.
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE CONSTITUTION
Ref: TC/1832
Published Date: 16-Mar-06
Related Images
There have been no images archived for this article.