FORMER TYRONE MP CALLS FOR OMAGH FILES NOT TO BE RELEASED TO FAMILIES
Former Tyrone MP calls for Omagh files not to be released to families
BY RONAN McSHERRY
r.mcsherry@ulsterherald.com
A FORMER Tyrone MP has spoken out against a campaign by political representatives seeking disclosure of intelligence information that could assist relatives of the Omagh bomb victims.
Ken Maginnis said the handing over of surveillance information to victims' families could set a dangerous precedent in the future.
The former MP for Fermanagh-South Tyrone told a meeting of the British-Irish Inter-Parliamentary Body in Newcastle on Monday that releasing the security files could undermine the fight against international terrorism. The conference was attended for the first time by an official Ulster Unionist delegation led by Mr Maginnis thus ending their 18-year boycott of the body.
"We have to give our intelligence agencies a degree of security so that we don't undermine what is necessary for the protection of our country, of Europe or our soldiers abroad," he said.
Michael Gallagher, Chairman if the Omagh Support and Self Help Group, whose son Aidan died in the bombing, described Mr Maginnis's comments as 'sad.'
"Releasing this information would be invaluable to the civil action and give closure to families who have suffered long enough," said Mr Gallagher. "The release of the information would be firmly in the public interest." Despite the objection from Mr Maginnis, politicians at the conference endorsed a motion from
Fine Gael TD Brian Hayes and Labour MP Andrew McKinley calling for the release of intercepted intelligence reportedly held by monitoring body GCHQ. Pressure has been mounting on Government Communications Headquarters since BBC's Panorama programme recently reported that the British security intelligence monitoring agency
intercepted mobile phone calls of the Real IRA Omagh bombers on the day of the attack and prior to the attack.
It also reported that tapes and transcripts of these calls were not made available to RUC detectives investigating the bombing on August 15, 1998 which killed 29 people including a woman pregnant with twin girls.
The British prime minister ordered a review to establish whether such intercepted intelligence material was in the hands of GCHQ and other British security and intelligence agencies. The British intelligence services commissioner Sir Peter Gibson is due to report on the matter in mid to late December.
TD Brian Hayes however said that this would be too late for the families taking a civil action against five men they say were implicated in the Real IRA bombing. He said the case was due to wind up in late November and there was still time to present new evidence. "Time is of the essence. It is crucial that all information, documents and transcripts from the surveillance at the time leading up to and after the Omagh bombing be given to the family's legal team," he said.
BY RONAN McSHERRY
r.mcsherry@ulsterherald.com
A FORMER Tyrone MP has spoken out against a campaign by political representatives seeking disclosure of intelligence information that could assist relatives of the Omagh bomb victims.
Ken Maginnis said the handing over of surveillance information to victims' families could set a dangerous precedent in the future.
The former MP for Fermanagh-South Tyrone told a meeting of the British-Irish Inter-Parliamentary Body in Newcastle on Monday that releasing the security files could undermine the fight against international terrorism. The conference was attended for the first time by an official Ulster Unionist delegation led by Mr Maginnis thus ending their 18-year boycott of the body.
"We have to give our intelligence agencies a degree of security so that we don't undermine what is necessary for the protection of our country, of Europe or our soldiers abroad," he said.
Michael Gallagher, Chairman if the Omagh Support and Self Help Group, whose son Aidan died in the bombing, described Mr Maginnis's comments as 'sad.'
"Releasing this information would be invaluable to the civil action and give closure to families who have suffered long enough," said Mr Gallagher. "The release of the information would be firmly in the public interest." Despite the objection from Mr Maginnis, politicians at the conference endorsed a motion from
Fine Gael TD Brian Hayes and Labour MP Andrew McKinley calling for the release of intercepted intelligence reportedly held by monitoring body GCHQ. Pressure has been mounting on Government Communications Headquarters since BBC's Panorama programme recently reported that the British security intelligence monitoring agency
intercepted mobile phone calls of the Real IRA Omagh bombers on the day of the attack and prior to the attack.
It also reported that tapes and transcripts of these calls were not made available to RUC detectives investigating the bombing on August 15, 1998 which killed 29 people including a woman pregnant with twin girls.
The British prime minister ordered a review to establish whether such intercepted intelligence material was in the hands of GCHQ and other British security and intelligence agencies. The British intelligence services commissioner Sir Peter Gibson is due to report on the matter in mid to late December.
TD Brian Hayes however said that this would be too late for the families taking a civil action against five men they say were implicated in the Real IRA bombing. He said the case was due to wind up in late November and there was still time to present new evidence. "Time is of the essence. It is crucial that all information, documents and transcripts from the surveillance at the time leading up to and after the Omagh bombing be given to the family's legal team," he said.
Further Information
Publisher: ULSTER HERALD
Ref: UH/1968
Published Date: 23-Oct-08
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