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Omagh bombing

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Omagh bombing
The red Vauxhall Cavalier sedan containing the bomb. This photo was taken shortly before the explosion; the camera was found afterwards in the rubble.[1].
LocationOmagh, Northern Ireland
DateAugust 15, 1998
TargetCourthouse[2]
Attack type
Car bomb
Deaths29[3][4][5]
InjuredAbout 220 initially reported, later stories say over 300[3]
PerpetratorsThe Real IRA or RIRA[3][5][4]

The Omagh bombing was a paramilitary car bomb attack carried out by the Real IRA (RIRA), a splinter group of former Provisional Irish Republican Army members opposed to the Belfast Agreement, on August 15, 1998, in Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland.[6] Twenty-nine people died as a result of the attack,[3][5][4] including one woman who was pregnant with twins, and approximately 220 people were injured.[7] The attack was described by the BBC and as "Northern Ireland's worst single terrorist atrocity" and by British Prime Minister Tony Blair as an "appalling act of savagery and evil".[8][9] Sinn Fein leaders Gerry Adams[10] and Martin McGuinness[11] vehemently condemned the attack and the RIRA itself.[12]

The victims included people from many different backgrounds- both Protestants and Catholics, nine children,[11] and also two Spanish tourists as well as with other tourists on a day trip from the Republic of Ireland.[13] The nature of the bombing created a strong international[3] and local[10] outcry against the RIRA, which later forced the organization to apologize,[10][14] and spurred on the Northern Ireland peace process.[3][10] In 2001, County Louth builder and publican Colm Murphy was convicted in connection to the bombing.[11] He is currently awaiting a Court of Criminal Appeal ordered retrial.[11] Murphy's nephew Sean Hoey of Jonesborough, South Armagh was released on December 20, 2007 after spending four years in prision.[4] The families of those killed have stated that they will continue with a High Court civil action for £14 million against the two men and three others whom they say were responsible for the attack.[4] The head of the RIRA itself, Michael McKevitt, was convicted in 2004 and sentenced to 20 years in jail.[3]

Before the attack

On August 13, the maroon Vauxhall Cavalier was stolen from Carrickmacross, County Monaghan in the Republic of Ireland.[15][16] The perpetrators replaced its Republic of Ireland number plates with false Northern Ireland plates.[11] On the day of the bombing, they parked the car filled with 500lbs of explosives outside a clothes shop on Omagh's Market Street.[11] It detonated at about 3pm[11] or 1500 British Summer Time in the crowded shopping area.[7]

That morning, three phone calls had been placed warning of an attack in Omagh. At 14:32, a warning was telephoned to Ulster Television saying "There's a bomb, courthouse, Omagh, main street, 500lb, explosion 30 minutes."[17] The office recieved a second warning saying "Bomb, Omagh town, 15 minutes" one minute later.[17] The next minute, the Coleraine office of theSamaritans charity recieved a call stating that a bomb would go off on Main Street about 200 yards from the courthouse.[17] The recipients quickly passed on the information to the RUC.[17]

BBC News has stated that the police "were clearing an area near the local courthouse, 40 minutes after receiving a telephone warning, when the bomb detonated. But the warning was unclear and the wrong area was evacuated."[7] Sky News and the Conflict Archive on the Internet project have stated that the nature of the warnings lead the police to move people over to the area where the bomb was actually placed.[17][7][18] The courthouse is roughly 400 meters- 500 yards[19]- from the spot where the car rested.Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page). and on 14 December 2001 released a statement claiming the organisation had "minimal involvement" and that two MI5 agents were largely responsible for the bombing.[20]

The BBC's Panorama programme, Who Bombed Omagh?, shown in 2000, gave the names of the prime suspects as Séamus McKenna, Michael McKevitt, Liam Campbell, Colm Murphy, and Seamus Daly. Police believe that the bombing of BBC Television Centre in London was a revenge attack for the broadcast.[21]

Builder and publican Colm Murphy, from County Louth, was charged and convicted in 2001 by the Republic's Special Criminal Court for "conspiracy to cause an explosion likely to endanger life or cause injury". He was sentenced to fourteen years. In January 2005, Murphy's conviction was quashed and a retrial ordered by the Court of Criminal Appeal, on the grounds that two Gardaí had falsified interview notes, and that Murphy's previous convictions were improperly taken into account by the trial judges.[22]

Many of the others were later sued in a civil action by the relatives of people killed in the bombing, including the families of James Barker, 12, Samantha McFarland, 17, Lorraine Wilson, 15, and 20-month-old Breda Devine.

Wikinews has related news:

On September 6, 2006 Sean Hoey, an electrician from Jonesborough, County Armagh went on trial accused of 29 counts of murder, as well as terrorism and explosives charges.[23] Hoey's trial has been completed and, on 20 December 2007, he was found not guilty of all 56 charges against him.[24]

Police Ombudsman report

The Police Ombudsman, Nuala O'Loan, strongly criticised the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC, now the Police Service of Northern Ireland) over their handling of the investigation. Her report stated that RUC officers had ignored previous warnings about a bomb and had failed to act on crucial intelligence. She went on to say that officers had been uncooperative and defensive during her inquiry into the investigation. RUC officers had been seen moving people towards the bomb, which they claimed was because the warnings had been for the Courthouse.[25] On 24 February, 2006, it was alleged that an agent paid by MI5 and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, knew of the plan to bomb Omagh, but that MI5 never passed this information to police.[26] In 2006 Hugh Orde stated that the senior officer in charge of the case believed that MI5 did not withhold information.[27]

The Mirror report that initially, the Police Association, which represents senior officers and rank and file members of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), went to court to try to block the release of the O'Loan report, but dropped their efforts after being given more time to review the report before its release to the public.

However Chief Constable Ronnie Flanagan stated that the multiple warnings were given to cause confusion and ultimately a greater loss of life.[28]

Victims' support group

The families of the victims of the bomb created the Omagh Support and Self Help Group after the bombing. Their website provides newsletters, references and news archives regarding the bombing. The group also provides support to victims of other bombings in Ireland, as well other terrorist bombings, such as the 2004 Madrid train bombings.[29]

Memorials

The bombing inspired the song "Paper Sun", by rock group Def Leppard, as noted in the commentary of their album Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection.

Another song inspired by the bombings was "Peace on Earth", by rock group U2, and includes the line "They're reading names out over the radio. All the folks the rest of us won't get to know. Sean and Julia, Gareth, Ann, and Breda." The 5 names mentioned are five of the victims from this attack. Another Line, "She never got to say goodbye, To see the colour in his eyes, now he's in the dirt", was about how James Barker, a victim, was remembered by his mother Donna Maria Barker in an article in the Irish Times after the bombing in Omagh.

Omagh maintains a memorial garden in the town centre, however, a memorial stone is still to be erected.[30]

See also

  • Omagh, a 2004 TV movie dealing with the bombing

Notes

  1. ^ Omagh Bomb: Before the Bomb — 15 August, 1998
  2. ^ John Mooney and Michael O'Toole (2004). Black Operations: The Secret War Against the Real IRA. Maverick House. pp. pp211–2. ISBN 0-9542945-9-9. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help)
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Man cleared over Omagh bombing". CNN.com. Published December 20, 2007. Accessed January 9, 2008.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Man cleared of Omagh bombing". The Independent. Published December 20, 2007. Accessed January 9, 2008.
  5. ^ a b c "Nine years on, the only Omagh bombing suspect is free" The Times. Published December 21, 2007. Accessed January 9, 2008.
  6. ^ "Bomb Atrocity Rocks Northern Ireland". BBC News. 1998-08-16. Retrieved 2007-09-11. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ a b c d "Omagh bombing kills 28". BBC News. 1998-08-16. Retrieved 2007-03-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ "Bravery awards for bomb helpers". BBC News. 1999-11-17. Retrieved 2007-03-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ The Omagh Bomb - Main Events
  10. ^ a b c d A BLAST OF EVIL. The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. Initally broadcast August 19, 1998.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g "Omagh: Northern Ireland's Blackest Day". Sky News. Published December 20, 2007.
  12. ^ "Sinn Fein condemnation 'unequivocal'". BBC. Published August 16, 1998. Accessed January 9, 2008.
  13. ^ http://www.wesleyjohnston.com/users/ireland/past/omagh/introduction.html
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference apology was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ "Gardai in Carrickmacross look for information on stolen bomb car". The Irish Times
  16. ^ "BBC 2 NEWSNIGHT SPECIAL". Originally broadcast August 16, 1998.
  17. ^ a b c d e Omagh bomb warnings released. BBC. Published August 18, 1998
  18. ^ [http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/events/omagh/events.htm "Main Events surrounding the bomb in Omagh "].
  19. ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/Northern_Ireland/Story/0,,615238,00.html
  20. ^ 14 December 2001 Real IRA Statement in Full
  21. ^ Ealing Bomb: The Real IRA, Independent 4 August, 2001
  22. ^ "Relatives disappointed with Omagh ruling". RTÉ News. 2005-01-21. Retrieved 2007-03-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  23. ^ "Sickness halts Omagh trial". The Guardian. 2006-09-06. Retrieved 2007-03-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  24. ^ "Man not guilty of Omagh murders". BBC News Online. 2007-12-20. Retrieved 2007-12-20. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  25. ^ "Statement by the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland on her Investigation of matters relating to the Omagh Bomb on August 15, 1998" (PDF). 2001-12-12. Retrieved 2007-03-14. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  26. ^ "MI5 withheld intelligence ahead of Omagh". RTÉ News. 2006-02-24. Retrieved 2007-03-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  27. ^ MI5 "did not retain Omagh advice" BBC News
  28. ^ Johnston, Wesley. "Appendix B: Police Press Releases on the Omagh Bomb". Retrieved 2007-03-14.
  29. ^ Omagh Support and Self Help Group
  30. ^ BBC News
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