MAJOR GARDA HUNT FOR OMAGH BOMBERS
Major hunt for Omagh bombers
THE GARDAI hunt for the men who stole the car used to transport a 500lb car bomb into Omagh is one the largest ever undertaken South of the Border in recent years, it has emerged.
As the hunt continues for the gang responsible for the Omagh bombing it has been revealed that the Gardai investigation is one of its biggest yet.
Up to 50 uniformed Gardai and detectives are involved in the hunt for the gang which stole the Vauxhall Cavalier car used by the Real IRA to transport the 500lb car bomb to Omagh leaving 29 people and unborn twins dead on August 15th.
The team is made up of officers from the Gardai Special Branch and members of the Emergency Response Unit.
The car used in the bombing, which belonged to a student, was stolen from Carrickmacross in Co Monaghan just days before the North's worst atrocity.
Carrickmacross is now the centre of the Gardai investigation where an incident room has been set up. To date twelve people have been questioned and nine charged in connection with car theft.
In Omagh the RUC, who according to the Chief Constable are working closely with their Southern counterparts, has set up its incident room in the town.
Despite attempts by the "Herald" to have an RUC officer available for interview on the progress of the investigation and public response, none was forthcoming this week.
Senior officers are not prepared to speak to the press, but according to a spokesman a prepared statement would be issued next week.
In the South, Assistant Commissioner, Kevin Carty is in overall charge of the hunt for the car gang. He is joined by Chief Superintendent Colum Rooney, who has been in charge of the Cavan/Monaghan area for the last six years.
In an interview on Friday, the Chief Superintendent said he was delighted with the response from the public in the South to a Garda appeal after the bomb.
"People were shocked and outraged by what happened in Omagh and the level of co-operation from the public was exactly as you would expect in such a serious investigation.
"People want to help and are very anxious to help - it gives one great comfort the level of co-operation we have had. As a result of the publicity, we have had people ringing up from all over Ireland saying we think we saw something.
"We realise, of course, that sometimes it takes a bit of doing for people to lift up the phone and call us." he said.
The Superintendent said there is difficulty in getting inside information on the dissident Republican gang.
"The difficulty with this type of crime and when you are dealing with this type of information is that there is a limited number of people who know about their activities.
However, he said he is confident that the perpetrators will be caught.
"We were confident when we set out on the investigation that we were going to find the people responsible for taking the car in Carrickmacross and we still believe that we will find the people that stole the car."
Speaking about the investigation Supt. Rooney said "We went back to the area where the car was parked and there was a thorough examination by the technical people and we did house-to-house enquiries - that is where any investigation starts.
"We held a press conference in Cavan to tell the public what we were doing and to ask for their assistance.
"Out of that publicity we got a lot of assistance and intelligence that there were criminal groups involved in the taking of cars on a fairly wide scale, so our investigation took us down that road.
"The investigation starts at a central point and it develops - that is why we have so many people involved in the case.
"We have had to put people on different avenues, but they are all linked to the overall investigation," he said.
The Garda Chief is happy with the level of co-operation and intelligence sharing that is being maintained between his force and the RUC.
He said he had visited Omagh, and police and Gardai investigating the bombing are in contact on an almost daily basis.
THE GARDAI hunt for the men who stole the car used to transport a 500lb car bomb into Omagh is one the largest ever undertaken South of the Border in recent years, it has emerged.
As the hunt continues for the gang responsible for the Omagh bombing it has been revealed that the Gardai investigation is one of its biggest yet.
Up to 50 uniformed Gardai and detectives are involved in the hunt for the gang which stole the Vauxhall Cavalier car used by the Real IRA to transport the 500lb car bomb to Omagh leaving 29 people and unborn twins dead on August 15th.
The team is made up of officers from the Gardai Special Branch and members of the Emergency Response Unit.
The car used in the bombing, which belonged to a student, was stolen from Carrickmacross in Co Monaghan just days before the North's worst atrocity.
Carrickmacross is now the centre of the Gardai investigation where an incident room has been set up. To date twelve people have been questioned and nine charged in connection with car theft.
In Omagh the RUC, who according to the Chief Constable are working closely with their Southern counterparts, has set up its incident room in the town.
Despite attempts by the "Herald" to have an RUC officer available for interview on the progress of the investigation and public response, none was forthcoming this week.
Senior officers are not prepared to speak to the press, but according to a spokesman a prepared statement would be issued next week.
In the South, Assistant Commissioner, Kevin Carty is in overall charge of the hunt for the car gang. He is joined by Chief Superintendent Colum Rooney, who has been in charge of the Cavan/Monaghan area for the last six years.
In an interview on Friday, the Chief Superintendent said he was delighted with the response from the public in the South to a Garda appeal after the bomb.
"People were shocked and outraged by what happened in Omagh and the level of co-operation from the public was exactly as you would expect in such a serious investigation.
"People want to help and are very anxious to help - it gives one great comfort the level of co-operation we have had. As a result of the publicity, we have had people ringing up from all over Ireland saying we think we saw something.
"We realise, of course, that sometimes it takes a bit of doing for people to lift up the phone and call us." he said.
The Superintendent said there is difficulty in getting inside information on the dissident Republican gang.
"The difficulty with this type of crime and when you are dealing with this type of information is that there is a limited number of people who know about their activities.
However, he said he is confident that the perpetrators will be caught.
"We were confident when we set out on the investigation that we were going to find the people responsible for taking the car in Carrickmacross and we still believe that we will find the people that stole the car."
Speaking about the investigation Supt. Rooney said "We went back to the area where the car was parked and there was a thorough examination by the technical people and we did house-to-house enquiries - that is where any investigation starts.
"We held a press conference in Cavan to tell the public what we were doing and to ask for their assistance.
"Out of that publicity we got a lot of assistance and intelligence that there were criminal groups involved in the taking of cars on a fairly wide scale, so our investigation took us down that road.
"The investigation starts at a central point and it develops - that is why we have so many people involved in the case.
"We have had to put people on different avenues, but they are all linked to the overall investigation," he said.
The Garda Chief is happy with the level of co-operation and intelligence sharing that is being maintained between his force and the RUC.
He said he had visited Omagh, and police and Gardai investigating the bombing are in contact on an almost daily basis.
Further Information
Publisher: ULSTER HERALD
Ref: UH/1185
Published Date: 08-Oct-98
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