ORDE CONFIRMS MI5 HELD BACK INTELLIGENCE ON OMAGH BOMB
Orde confirms MI5 held back intelligence on Omagh bomb
Victims might have had a chance, says families spokesman
INTELLIGENCE gathered by MB before the Omagh bombing was only passed to the police in Northern Ireland earlier this year, families of those killed in the atrocity were told officially this week during talks with PSNI Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde.
Michael Gallagher, Chairman of the Omagh Families Support Group, said that if the intelligence had been passed on before the attack it might have made a difference. His son Aiden was among the 29 people - and two unborn babies - murdered by the Real IRA in August 1998.
Mr Gallagher and other family members who lost loved ones in the bombing, together with a number of those injured, spent two hours in heated discussion with the chief constable. It was the first time that they had met and Mr Gallagher described the discussions as 'very long, at times difficult and sometimes very frank'.
"We talked about the way things had been handled, the intelligence, particularly MI5. He confirmed that it was only earlier this year that the PSNI was aware of that intelligence for the first time. It was important for us to hear it from the chief constable," said Mr Gallagher, who spoke later on behalf of the others in the group.
"That was something outside his control, but nevertheless we believe it could have made a difference and the police in Omagh had a right to know that intelligence so that they could at least have had a chance."
He said many other opportunities had been missed.
"It may or may not have had a bearing on the Omagh bomb but at least it would have raised the state of awareness that there was a bomb attack on its way."
The families left the police chief in no doubt at their dissatisfaction that nearly eight years after the bombing, no-one had yet been convicted of murder.
So far, only South Armagh electrician Sean Hoey, 36, had been charged with killing those slaughtered in the car bombing. He is due to go on trial in September.
The families are also planning a civil action for compensation against several men identified as being involved in the bombing.
Mr Gallagher said that once the two cases were completed, the families would be pressing for a full cross-border public inquiry.
He said that the criminal police investigation must now be coming to the end of its active life and once it and the cases were over they wanted the inquiry.
They will be pressing the British government to commit to one and for Northern Ireland politicians to support them in their call.
"We are not going to stop here, there may be some difficulties, there may be some embarrassment to the governments in the future, but that is for them to deal with," said Mr Gallagher.
This week's meeting went ahead with Chief Constable Orde and Chief Supt Norman Baxter, the detective in charge of the investigation, weeks after the families failed in a bid to have talks with the head of MI5, Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller. They had wanted to discuss with her allegations that the security service withheld intelligence received months before the bombing that Omagh or Derry were possible targets.
Victims might have had a chance, says families spokesman
INTELLIGENCE gathered by MB before the Omagh bombing was only passed to the police in Northern Ireland earlier this year, families of those killed in the atrocity were told officially this week during talks with PSNI Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde.
Michael Gallagher, Chairman of the Omagh Families Support Group, said that if the intelligence had been passed on before the attack it might have made a difference. His son Aiden was among the 29 people - and two unborn babies - murdered by the Real IRA in August 1998.
Mr Gallagher and other family members who lost loved ones in the bombing, together with a number of those injured, spent two hours in heated discussion with the chief constable. It was the first time that they had met and Mr Gallagher described the discussions as 'very long, at times difficult and sometimes very frank'.
"We talked about the way things had been handled, the intelligence, particularly MI5. He confirmed that it was only earlier this year that the PSNI was aware of that intelligence for the first time. It was important for us to hear it from the chief constable," said Mr Gallagher, who spoke later on behalf of the others in the group.
"That was something outside his control, but nevertheless we believe it could have made a difference and the police in Omagh had a right to know that intelligence so that they could at least have had a chance."
He said many other opportunities had been missed.
"It may or may not have had a bearing on the Omagh bomb but at least it would have raised the state of awareness that there was a bomb attack on its way."
The families left the police chief in no doubt at their dissatisfaction that nearly eight years after the bombing, no-one had yet been convicted of murder.
So far, only South Armagh electrician Sean Hoey, 36, had been charged with killing those slaughtered in the car bombing. He is due to go on trial in September.
The families are also planning a civil action for compensation against several men identified as being involved in the bombing.
Mr Gallagher said that once the two cases were completed, the families would be pressing for a full cross-border public inquiry.
He said that the criminal police investigation must now be coming to the end of its active life and once it and the cases were over they wanted the inquiry.
They will be pressing the British government to commit to one and for Northern Ireland politicians to support them in their call.
"We are not going to stop here, there may be some difficulties, there may be some embarrassment to the governments in the future, but that is for them to deal with," said Mr Gallagher.
This week's meeting went ahead with Chief Constable Orde and Chief Supt Norman Baxter, the detective in charge of the investigation, weeks after the families failed in a bid to have talks with the head of MI5, Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller. They had wanted to discuss with her allegations that the security service withheld intelligence received months before the bombing that Omagh or Derry were possible targets.
Further Information
Publisher: ULSTER HERALD
Ref: UH/1837
Published Date: 06-Apr-06
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