IRISH JUSTICE MINISTER MAKES PLEDGE ON PROBE INTO OMAGH BOMB
Irish Justice Minister makes pledge on probe into Omagh bomb
BY JOHN McCUSKER
THE Irish Justice Minister has vowed to consult with the Garda Commissioner regarding calls for a cross-border inquiry into the Omagh bombing.
The move comes after relatives of the 1998 attack met with Alan Shatter in Dublin last Thursday and presented him with an independent report reviewing all the investigations and court cases relating to the case which has been compiled over the past 14 years.
The Omagh relatives have also challenged Taoiseach Enda Kenny to honour a pledge he made before taking office to fight for justice for those affected by the blast which claimed 31 lives including a woman pregnant with twins.
The report was delivered to the Secretary of State in June. The families have also delivered briefings to a number of key individuals including the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee and a cross party group in the House of Lords.
Michael Gallagher, whose son Aidan was among those who died, led the delegation to the Irish parliament.
Speaking afterwards, he said, "Minister Shatter told us he would personally consider and reflect on the report. He acknowledged there are likely to be some very unpalatable issues that have arisen and he will need to share it with the Garda Commissioner."
Mr Shatter confirmed he would consult the commissioner and thanked the group for their visit.
"The atrocity at Omagh was a callous and brutal act of murder carried out by people with no regard for human life," the minister said. "I share with the Omagh relatives and with all right-thinking people the aim of doing all we reasonably can to try to prevent any repeat of such an awful tragedy."
Mr Gallagher said the report, which included analyses of different strands of investigations undertaken by M15, M16, the FBI and An Garda Siochana, found the bomb could have been prevented had the different forces shared intelligence.
"We told the minister that we don't want this treated in a piecemeal fashion," Mr Gallagher said. "It's a very serious and factually-based report, and the issues not only affect the British Government, but the Irish Government too. And even the US to an extent."
Mr Gallagher, a member of the Omagh Support and Self Help Group, said he appealed to Mr Shatter to help bring closure to Omagh.
He said a cross-border public inquiry was the only way to do so - as numerous other past reports and investigations dealt with small, separate issues and failed to piece the whole story together.
BY JOHN McCUSKER
THE Irish Justice Minister has vowed to consult with the Garda Commissioner regarding calls for a cross-border inquiry into the Omagh bombing.
The move comes after relatives of the 1998 attack met with Alan Shatter in Dublin last Thursday and presented him with an independent report reviewing all the investigations and court cases relating to the case which has been compiled over the past 14 years.
The Omagh relatives have also challenged Taoiseach Enda Kenny to honour a pledge he made before taking office to fight for justice for those affected by the blast which claimed 31 lives including a woman pregnant with twins.
The report was delivered to the Secretary of State in June. The families have also delivered briefings to a number of key individuals including the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee and a cross party group in the House of Lords.
Michael Gallagher, whose son Aidan was among those who died, led the delegation to the Irish parliament.
Speaking afterwards, he said, "Minister Shatter told us he would personally consider and reflect on the report. He acknowledged there are likely to be some very unpalatable issues that have arisen and he will need to share it with the Garda Commissioner."
Mr Shatter confirmed he would consult the commissioner and thanked the group for their visit.
"The atrocity at Omagh was a callous and brutal act of murder carried out by people with no regard for human life," the minister said. "I share with the Omagh relatives and with all right-thinking people the aim of doing all we reasonably can to try to prevent any repeat of such an awful tragedy."
Mr Gallagher said the report, which included analyses of different strands of investigations undertaken by M15, M16, the FBI and An Garda Siochana, found the bomb could have been prevented had the different forces shared intelligence.
"We told the minister that we don't want this treated in a piecemeal fashion," Mr Gallagher said. "It's a very serious and factually-based report, and the issues not only affect the British Government, but the Irish Government too. And even the US to an extent."
Mr Gallagher, a member of the Omagh Support and Self Help Group, said he appealed to Mr Shatter to help bring closure to Omagh.
He said a cross-border public inquiry was the only way to do so - as numerous other past reports and investigations dealt with small, separate issues and failed to piece the whole story together.
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE HERALD
Ref: TYH/120
Published Date: 23-Jul-12
Related Images
There have been no images archived for this article.