OMAGH BOMBING WIDOWER WARNED OFF BY THE GARDAI
Omagh bombing widower warned off by the gardai
BY ADRIAN MULLAN
THE husband of one of the people murdered in the 1998 Omagh blast has been told he will be arrested by gardai if he pursues a Real IRA mole who may hold vital information about the atrocity.
While nobody North or South has actually been charged with the bombing of Omagh, Laurence Rush who lost his wife Libby in the blast, has been warned off trying to track down a Garda informant. Mr Rush has been a persistent campaigner for justice for the victims of the blast.
A straight even blunt talker, he surprised the Taoiseach in Omagh just few weeks ago when he presented him with a dossier relating to key figures in the bombing.
The authorities in Dublin have refused to make key informant Jimmy Dixon available for questioning by the PSNI on his role prior to the bombing.
They have now warned Mr Rush that he must stop pursuing the petty criminal informer now on a witness protection scheme and believed to be accommodated on the continent or risk imprisonment himself.
However, Mr Rush has intimated that he will not be dissuaded from trying to find Dixon, who has alleged that the security services in the Republic allowed the Omagh bomb through to protect his identity. The warning was passed to Mr Rush from the PSNI officer investigating the bombing, Det. Supt Norman Baxter.
It is a criminal offence in the South to reveal the identity of a police informant, especially those concerned with "terrorist" cases.
Mr Rush said he had received a letter from the PSNI alerting him to the fact that if he continues to pursue those he believes are responsible for the Omagh bombing, and informers such as Paddy Dixon, he will be arrested.
Mr Rush said that neither of the investigations into the blast seem to be going anywhere and, therefore, he will continue with his own investigation.
BY ADRIAN MULLAN
THE husband of one of the people murdered in the 1998 Omagh blast has been told he will be arrested by gardai if he pursues a Real IRA mole who may hold vital information about the atrocity.
While nobody North or South has actually been charged with the bombing of Omagh, Laurence Rush who lost his wife Libby in the blast, has been warned off trying to track down a Garda informant. Mr Rush has been a persistent campaigner for justice for the victims of the blast.
A straight even blunt talker, he surprised the Taoiseach in Omagh just few weeks ago when he presented him with a dossier relating to key figures in the bombing.
The authorities in Dublin have refused to make key informant Jimmy Dixon available for questioning by the PSNI on his role prior to the bombing.
They have now warned Mr Rush that he must stop pursuing the petty criminal informer now on a witness protection scheme and believed to be accommodated on the continent or risk imprisonment himself.
However, Mr Rush has intimated that he will not be dissuaded from trying to find Dixon, who has alleged that the security services in the Republic allowed the Omagh bomb through to protect his identity. The warning was passed to Mr Rush from the PSNI officer investigating the bombing, Det. Supt Norman Baxter.
It is a criminal offence in the South to reveal the identity of a police informant, especially those concerned with "terrorist" cases.
Mr Rush said he had received a letter from the PSNI alerting him to the fact that if he continues to pursue those he believes are responsible for the Omagh bombing, and informers such as Paddy Dixon, he will be arrested.
Mr Rush said that neither of the investigations into the blast seem to be going anywhere and, therefore, he will continue with his own investigation.
Further Information
Publisher: ULSTER HERALD
Ref: UH/1640
Published Date: 11-Mar-04
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