ARRESTS CONTINUE OVER OMAGH BOMBING
Arrests continue over Omagh bombing
BY: MICHELE CANNING
TWO PEOPLE remain in custody this morning (Thurs), being questioned about the Omagh bombing, as detectives on both sides of the border continue their hunt for the Real IRA bombers.
A South Armagh woman was arrested yesterday morning (Wed), and taken to Strand Road RUC barracks for interrogation. Meanwhile, on the other side of the border a Co Louth man remains in Garda custody in Co Monaghan.
The arrests were the latest in cross-border swoops and bring to five the number of people detained this week.
Three men and a woman were arrested by Gardai at the weekend. The men were detained in Dundalk on Saturday and the woman, who has connections with Republican Sinn Fein, was arrested in Dublin on Sunday.
Two of the men were released on Monday and the woman believed to have worked for the sole person charged in connection with the atrocity was released on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, the RUC arrested a woman in South Armagh. She remains in custody this morning.
Only one man, Colm Murphy, a native of South Armagh, is charged with conspiracy to cause an explosion and membership of an illegal organisation.
Gardai, however, are confident of bringing charges against a number of people in addition to Murphy.
He was one of eleven people arrested in cross-border raids last week, including Francis Mackey, a 44 year old local councillor.
The Omagh Independent councillor blasted his arrest last week as "politically motivated."
Mackey, who took the Chair of the 32 County Sovereignty Movement aligned with the Real IRA after resigning from Sinn Fein, was arrested Monday week last from his workplace at the Tyrone and Fermanagh Hospital.
He was interrogated for four days at Strand Road RUC barracks, before being released on Thursday morning.
At a press conference in Dundalk on Friday, he claimed his arrest was politically motivated.
"This latest political round up, like the orchestrated attempts at vilifying leaders of the Sovereignty Movement, or the political abductions, are part of the strategy designed to intimidate republicans from engaging in open political debate and joining us.
"These tactics are doomed to failure as recent growth in our movement has shown," he added.
BY: MICHELE CANNING
TWO PEOPLE remain in custody this morning (Thurs), being questioned about the Omagh bombing, as detectives on both sides of the border continue their hunt for the Real IRA bombers.
A South Armagh woman was arrested yesterday morning (Wed), and taken to Strand Road RUC barracks for interrogation. Meanwhile, on the other side of the border a Co Louth man remains in Garda custody in Co Monaghan.
The arrests were the latest in cross-border swoops and bring to five the number of people detained this week.
Three men and a woman were arrested by Gardai at the weekend. The men were detained in Dundalk on Saturday and the woman, who has connections with Republican Sinn Fein, was arrested in Dublin on Sunday.
Two of the men were released on Monday and the woman believed to have worked for the sole person charged in connection with the atrocity was released on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, the RUC arrested a woman in South Armagh. She remains in custody this morning.
Only one man, Colm Murphy, a native of South Armagh, is charged with conspiracy to cause an explosion and membership of an illegal organisation.
Gardai, however, are confident of bringing charges against a number of people in addition to Murphy.
He was one of eleven people arrested in cross-border raids last week, including Francis Mackey, a 44 year old local councillor.
The Omagh Independent councillor blasted his arrest last week as "politically motivated."
Mackey, who took the Chair of the 32 County Sovereignty Movement aligned with the Real IRA after resigning from Sinn Fein, was arrested Monday week last from his workplace at the Tyrone and Fermanagh Hospital.
He was interrogated for four days at Strand Road RUC barracks, before being released on Thursday morning.
At a press conference in Dundalk on Friday, he claimed his arrest was politically motivated.
"This latest political round up, like the orchestrated attempts at vilifying leaders of the Sovereignty Movement, or the political abductions, are part of the strategy designed to intimidate republicans from engaging in open political debate and joining us.
"These tactics are doomed to failure as recent growth in our movement has shown," he added.
Further Information
Publisher: ULSTER HERALD
Ref: UH/1224
Published Date: 04-Mar-99
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