OMAGH BOMBING ATROCITY COULD BE REPEATED MPS WARNED
Omagh bombing atrocity could be repeated MPs warned
AN attack similar to the Omagh bombing could be repeated because a "blind eye" is being turned to dissident republicans, according to a former senior policeman.
Norman Baxter, who led the investigation into the Omagh Bombing, made his comments to an MPs' committee investigating intelligence surrounding the 1998 atrocity.
He said the British Government needed to recognise the danger posed by dissidents at present and stop "pretending" everything was normal.
"We have a blind eye being turned to dissident activity and I have to say that the border is exposed again," he said.
He told the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee the government was repeating the same mistakes now as were made in the '90s.
"It would be remiss of me not to advise this committee that you could be sitting here in ten years time discussing another atrocity because the government and the authorities have failed to acknowledge what is happening," said Mr Baxter.
Referring to the Omagh bombing, he said the security policy at the time was a failure.
He told MPs that the government and the authorities "took their eye off the ball" before the Real IRA bomb attack on 15 August, which killed 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins.
Mr Baxter said that whilst he believed the bombing could not have been prevented, opportunities to intervene in the run up to Omagh were missed.
He also said intelligence was not made available to the team who were investigating the atrocity.
"I'm not in a position to know what was or was not being conducted by the intelligence community, but if such things as telephone numbers, either on the day or in the period leading up to Omagh, were available within the intelligence community that should have been shared with investigators at a very early stage," he said.
"It is my view that those numbers, or any information, on this gang which was in existence should have been shared with investigators."
Mr Baxter said there had been a string of earlier threats involving the same republican gang which were responsible for carrying out the attack.
"The investigators didn't have access to the intelligence, not to prevent those incidents, but to ensure that the investigators after those incidents would have had an opportunity to have the suspects arrested prior to the Omagh bomb," he said.
Lady Sylvia Hermon, who sits on the committee, said Mr Baxter had made some serious allegations.
"That seems a very serious criticism of the PSNI and the former chief constable Sir Hugh Orde, who has consistently warned of the threat from dissidents," she said.
At the 2007 trial of Sean Hoey, the only man to be charged with the Omagh bombing, the judge criticised the police handling of the investigation headed by Mr Baxter. He said evidence gathering had been completely disorganised and also questioned the validity of statements given by two police officers at the trial.
The two police officers were later cleared of any criminal conduct by the Police Ombudsman.
AN attack similar to the Omagh bombing could be repeated because a "blind eye" is being turned to dissident republicans, according to a former senior policeman.
Norman Baxter, who led the investigation into the Omagh Bombing, made his comments to an MPs' committee investigating intelligence surrounding the 1998 atrocity.
He said the British Government needed to recognise the danger posed by dissidents at present and stop "pretending" everything was normal.
"We have a blind eye being turned to dissident activity and I have to say that the border is exposed again," he said.
He told the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee the government was repeating the same mistakes now as were made in the '90s.
"It would be remiss of me not to advise this committee that you could be sitting here in ten years time discussing another atrocity because the government and the authorities have failed to acknowledge what is happening," said Mr Baxter.
Referring to the Omagh bombing, he said the security policy at the time was a failure.
He told MPs that the government and the authorities "took their eye off the ball" before the Real IRA bomb attack on 15 August, which killed 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins.
Mr Baxter said that whilst he believed the bombing could not have been prevented, opportunities to intervene in the run up to Omagh were missed.
He also said intelligence was not made available to the team who were investigating the atrocity.
"I'm not in a position to know what was or was not being conducted by the intelligence community, but if such things as telephone numbers, either on the day or in the period leading up to Omagh, were available within the intelligence community that should have been shared with investigators at a very early stage," he said.
"It is my view that those numbers, or any information, on this gang which was in existence should have been shared with investigators."
Mr Baxter said there had been a string of earlier threats involving the same republican gang which were responsible for carrying out the attack.
"The investigators didn't have access to the intelligence, not to prevent those incidents, but to ensure that the investigators after those incidents would have had an opportunity to have the suspects arrested prior to the Omagh bomb," he said.
Lady Sylvia Hermon, who sits on the committee, said Mr Baxter had made some serious allegations.
"That seems a very serious criticism of the PSNI and the former chief constable Sir Hugh Orde, who has consistently warned of the threat from dissidents," she said.
At the 2007 trial of Sean Hoey, the only man to be charged with the Omagh bombing, the judge criticised the police handling of the investigation headed by Mr Baxter. He said evidence gathering had been completely disorganised and also questioned the validity of statements given by two police officers at the trial.
The two police officers were later cleared of any criminal conduct by the Police Ombudsman.
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE HERALD
Ref: TYH/102
Published Date: 16-Nov-09
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