HE WON'T CONDEMN BOMBERS
HE WON'T CONDEMN BOMBERS
By JEFF EDWARDS
Chief Crime Correspondent
Fury over Blast town councillor
A LEADING Omagh councillor was branded a heartless hypocrite last night for refusing to condemn the bombers who blew the heart out of his town.
Republican Francie Mackey is chairman of the 32 County Sovereignty Committee, recognised as the political wing of the renegade Real IRA who have been blamed for Saturday's outrage.
He is a psychiatric nurse at the hospital where many of the victims were treated.
And his 19-year-old son Shane was one of five men arrested yesterday in connection with the bombing.
Three hours after the early-morning swoop by armed police, Mr Mackey went to an emergency meeting of Omagh Town Council where he signed a book of condolence for the blast victims.
He merely wrote his name and address without further comment.
Enemy
Last night a council colleague, whose niece was killed by the bomb, angrily attacked 49-year-old Mr Mackey.
Democratic Unionist Oliver Gibson. 63, stormed: "He is a hypocrite. With his views I do not think he should have been in that meeting this morning.
"I sit opposite him at meetings because I believe in that old saying 'know thine enemy'.
"I sat there this morning watching his every move, every jerk, every blink, every twitch.
"He works as a psychiatric nurse in the local hospital and I am told he is a very good nurse.
"But over the next few months he will be caring for people his friends blew up. How can he live with himself?"
Mr Gibson lost his 36-year-old niece Esther Gibson in the Omagh bombing.
He said: "I have lost a very dear relative in this atrocity.
"Ten days ago I buried my brother. Fifteen years ago he was mowed down when the IRA fired 49 shots at him as he drove his tractor on his farm. He was maimed but he lived.
"These are the sort of people that my colleague Councillor Mackey supports."
Mr Gibson added: "I don't have any brief for any of the IRA groups or their supporters whether they call themselves Provisionals, Continuity. Real IRA or whatever - they are all of the same ilk.
"In Omagh in the past they have just caused a few million pounds worth of damage and slightly injured one or two folk.
"The difference on this occasion was the indiscriminate murder of innocent shoppers and children."
Mr Mackey quit Sinn Fein earlier this year because of their support for the Northern Ireland peace deal.
He recently told fellow republicans to oppose the peace process "by whatever means". In May he gave a graveside oration at the funeral of rebel IRA man Ronan McLochlainn who was shot dead by police during a bank raid near Dublin.
Mr Mackey a councillor for 13 years, was banned from entering the United States in March.
Confronted by The Mirror yesterday, he spoke of his "sadness and sympathy" for the bomb victims but refused to use the word "condemn".
He denied that his organisation was behind the bombing.
"This has been a terrible tragedy for Omagh," he said, adding: "I have never been involved in any military activity."
Asked why police had arrested his student son, Mr Mackey claimed it was harassment.
He said: "The Government and the security forces have tried to demonise me for being honest and open in expression of my political opinions" Mr Mackey said his son had been at his part-time work on Saturday when the bomb went off.
Shane Mackey was held when detectives raided his father's house in the village of Loughmacrory four miles from Omagh.
The four other men were arrested in the Omagh area. All five were being questioned by police in Belfast last night.
Prisoners released under the Ulster peace deal could include Real IRA supporters, the Government was warned last night.
Ulster First Minister David Trimble sounded the alert as dozens of convicted republican and loyalist killers prepare for freedom next month.
All will have to convince a sentencing review body that they are signed up to groups which have renounced violence.
Mr Trimble raised fears that backers of the group behind the Omagh attack could be among those freed. He called on Northern Ireland Ministers and the new review body "to make sure the people that are released are people that will not then defect to groups such as those responsible".
The Government made clear the agreed programme of prisoner releases would not be affected by the Omagh atrocity. But former Premier John Major also spelt out his worries over the programme.
Mr Major, an architect of the peace process, urged the Government to carry out rigorous checks to make sure the freed prisoners would not return to terrorism.
US President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary will visit Northern Ireland on September 3 - going to Belfast and possibly Armagh before travelling on to the Irish Republic.
By JEFF EDWARDS
Chief Crime Correspondent
Fury over Blast town councillor
A LEADING Omagh councillor was branded a heartless hypocrite last night for refusing to condemn the bombers who blew the heart out of his town.
Republican Francie Mackey is chairman of the 32 County Sovereignty Committee, recognised as the political wing of the renegade Real IRA who have been blamed for Saturday's outrage.
He is a psychiatric nurse at the hospital where many of the victims were treated.
And his 19-year-old son Shane was one of five men arrested yesterday in connection with the bombing.
Three hours after the early-morning swoop by armed police, Mr Mackey went to an emergency meeting of Omagh Town Council where he signed a book of condolence for the blast victims.
He merely wrote his name and address without further comment.
Enemy
Last night a council colleague, whose niece was killed by the bomb, angrily attacked 49-year-old Mr Mackey.
Democratic Unionist Oliver Gibson. 63, stormed: "He is a hypocrite. With his views I do not think he should have been in that meeting this morning.
"I sit opposite him at meetings because I believe in that old saying 'know thine enemy'.
"I sat there this morning watching his every move, every jerk, every blink, every twitch.
"He works as a psychiatric nurse in the local hospital and I am told he is a very good nurse.
"But over the next few months he will be caring for people his friends blew up. How can he live with himself?"
Mr Gibson lost his 36-year-old niece Esther Gibson in the Omagh bombing.
He said: "I have lost a very dear relative in this atrocity.
"Ten days ago I buried my brother. Fifteen years ago he was mowed down when the IRA fired 49 shots at him as he drove his tractor on his farm. He was maimed but he lived.
"These are the sort of people that my colleague Councillor Mackey supports."
Mr Gibson added: "I don't have any brief for any of the IRA groups or their supporters whether they call themselves Provisionals, Continuity. Real IRA or whatever - they are all of the same ilk.
"In Omagh in the past they have just caused a few million pounds worth of damage and slightly injured one or two folk.
"The difference on this occasion was the indiscriminate murder of innocent shoppers and children."
Mr Mackey quit Sinn Fein earlier this year because of their support for the Northern Ireland peace deal.
He recently told fellow republicans to oppose the peace process "by whatever means". In May he gave a graveside oration at the funeral of rebel IRA man Ronan McLochlainn who was shot dead by police during a bank raid near Dublin.
Mr Mackey a councillor for 13 years, was banned from entering the United States in March.
Confronted by The Mirror yesterday, he spoke of his "sadness and sympathy" for the bomb victims but refused to use the word "condemn".
He denied that his organisation was behind the bombing.
"This has been a terrible tragedy for Omagh," he said, adding: "I have never been involved in any military activity."
Asked why police had arrested his student son, Mr Mackey claimed it was harassment.
He said: "The Government and the security forces have tried to demonise me for being honest and open in expression of my political opinions" Mr Mackey said his son had been at his part-time work on Saturday when the bomb went off.
Shane Mackey was held when detectives raided his father's house in the village of Loughmacrory four miles from Omagh.
The four other men were arrested in the Omagh area. All five were being questioned by police in Belfast last night.
Prisoners released under the Ulster peace deal could include Real IRA supporters, the Government was warned last night.
Ulster First Minister David Trimble sounded the alert as dozens of convicted republican and loyalist killers prepare for freedom next month.
All will have to convince a sentencing review body that they are signed up to groups which have renounced violence.
Mr Trimble raised fears that backers of the group behind the Omagh attack could be among those freed. He called on Northern Ireland Ministers and the new review body "to make sure the people that are released are people that will not then defect to groups such as those responsible".
The Government made clear the agreed programme of prisoner releases would not be affected by the Omagh atrocity. But former Premier John Major also spelt out his worries over the programme.
Mr Major, an architect of the peace process, urged the Government to carry out rigorous checks to make sure the freed prisoners would not return to terrorism.
US President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary will visit Northern Ireland on September 3 - going to Belfast and possibly Armagh before travelling on to the Irish Republic.
Further Information
Publisher: THE MIRROR
Ref: TM/023
Published Date: 18-Aug-98
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