Police knew about Omagh bomb threat - BBC

Reuters via BBC ^ | Thursday December 6, 06:58 PM | Reuters

[Benson_Carter]

BELFAST (Reuters) - British police had information that renegade republicans were planning to attack the Northern Irish town of Omagh 11 days before a bomb in 1998 killed 29 people in the province's worst guerrilla atrocity, the BBC has reported.

An investigation by the Police Ombudsman found that days before the August 15 bombing, police had been warned by an informant that an attack by republican dissidents was imminent, while another warning had mentioned Omagh and the planned date, the BBC said.

A police detective was said to have spoken to an anonymous caller on August 4 for more than 10 minutes and he passed a warning about the attack to the force's special branch.

But this warning was not passed on to the local commanding officer or police on the day, according to a draft report by the Ombudsman, the BBC said.

The Real IRA, a guerrilla group which split from the Irish Republican Army (IRA), is blamed for the Omagh bombing. The group opposes the 1998 Good Friday peace accord which ended 30 years of sectarian trouble between Catholics, who want a united Ireland, and Protestants, who want to remain part of the United Kingdom.

[Benson_Carter]

Omagh was a terrible, terrible day in Eire, and the point of me posting this article was not to drum up support for those who committed this terrible atrocity. Rather, it was to point out the hypocrisy, the underhandedness, the evil policy of the British government to ignore these warnings, to maximize damaged caused by these rouge terrorist groups to make them even worse, in the hopes of turning people more towards the government and away from "the cause".

Obviously this is a terrible act, but is there some of the blood from the 29 dead on the hands of the Brits?

[Benson_Carter]

ping; for discussion.

[Hoplite]

I'd be curious as to how many bomb threats the authorities over there had to deal with on a daily (or whatever unit of time is appropriate) basis around the time of the Omagh bombing, and what would have indicated that this threat should have been treated any differently.

In any event, I gotta think that the guy who made the decision to put the info on this one in the 'no action' pile wasn't too happy about himself afterwards.

[jonatron]

...to maximize damage caused by these rouge terrorist groups to make them even worse, in the hopes of turning people more towards the government and away from "the cause".

What are rouge terrorists? Are they cigar-chomping thugs in pink tutus who go about blowing up civilians?

Also, you should know that Omagh is in Ulster, U.K. rather than in Eire as you and your terrorist heros would like to believe.

Obviously this is a terrible act, but is there some of the blood from the 29 dead on the hands of the Brits?

No. Do you also blame raped women rather than their attackers?

[xm177e2]

Obviously this is a terrible act, but is there some of the blood from the 29 dead on the hands of the Brits?

No.

[constitutiongirl]

I can assure you that the Northern Six are still attached to the island of Eire. If you are aware of a different geographical phenomenon, please let me know so I can drive to London tomorrow instead of flying. Your rape ananlogy is weak and actually proves Benson's point. The police knew and failed to act...if the police (or you) know a crime is being committed (like a rape) and fail to act, you're little better than the rapists themselves and in most States you are criminally liable.

[Benson_Carter]

those are two excellent issues you raise and I agree that they do prove my point. the rape analogy was not only weak; but insulting, as well.

[constitutiongirl]

Most people will never believe the amount of collusion that goes on between the Brits, the PSNI/RUC and the loyalist terrorists. I see he also thinks that all Republicans/Nationalists have terrorist heroes. Seeing as how he's on the other side, I guess he must have loyalist terror heroes. I should send him a glossy poster of the Shankill Butcher to put up in his house.

[constitutiongirl]

The info was not based on an anonymous call. 'Kevin Fulton' acted as a double-agent informing on RIRA activities. He provided his police handlers with specific evidence beforehand...the date, the bombing location,the car being used, where the bomb materials were being kept and the location where the bomb was being put together.

[Norn Iron]

There's a simpler message: No Bombs; No Casualties

[Norn Iron]

According to the Irish Times, the authorities in Dublin had a tail on those moving the bomb materials from Louth to South Armagh but lost contact at the border. They ought to have the process in the bud when they had the chance.

Policing is under the direction of London and Dublin civil servants so that control of policing matters has a political dimension. Also intelligence dissemination was apparently removed from the RUC c1994 and passed to MI5. The chances of something falling apart in this elaborate system at some point would seem quite high.

Nuala O'Loan wouldn't have had access to all the groups mentioned above - just the RUC files - so that her conclusions might be wrong.

[Norn Iron]

Why didn't the authorities in Dublin act? According to Jim Cusack in the Irish Times a test detonation which they knew about took place two weeks previously in the Cooley peninsula and the remainder was tailed to the border with South Armagh?

[Norn Iron]

Under Garda surveillance - Irish Times 7 December 2001

[constitutiongirl]

I have no idea why they didn't act. We've both agreed before that Dublin and London see NI as a thorn. Who's to say that Dublin didn't give a heads up to the Security Forces. Republican groups training in the Republic isn't all that uncommon. Their own little songbird gave them all the intel they could possibly use and they still refused to acknowledge it. I doubt if Dublin knew all the specifics that Kevin-boy did. If the body count had not been so high and foreign nationals not been killed this would have been swept under the rug like everything else that goes on here. There is no true justice here and I doubt if there ever will be. Until everyone can admit to wrong-doings and atrocities, things will continue on the same violent path.

[Norn Iron]

According to Garda sources there was information that the "Real IRA" was preparing explosives near Kilcock, Co Meath, in the weeks before the Omagh bombing and that sufficient explosive for two bombs - more than 1,000 lbs of fertiliser and sugar mix - was transported in a stolen car to the Border. It is understood that this car was under surveillance at some point but that it was lost at or near the Border crossing near Cullaville in south Armagh.

Half of the explosive was then taken to a test firing site in the Cooley Mountains and detonated just over a week before the attack on Omagh.

There were other clear indications that the "Real IRA" was planning a major attack and that the likely target would be a town centre. Two weeks to the day before Omagh the "Real IRA" had come near to causing carnage in its attack on Banbridge, Co Down.

What would George Bush have recommended? An attack on the Republic as a harbourer of terrorists?

[Norn Iron]

There is no true justice here and I doubt if there ever will be.

It's difficult to have justice when it is alleged that the two Governments instructed the police via the Secretariat of London and Dublin officials not to ruffle paramilitary feathers following the signing of the Agreement mid-1998. It's also alleged that parts of the police service were only operating Monday-Friday 9-5 to save money.

[Norn Iron]

There is no true justice here and I doubt if there ever will be.

It's difficult to have justice when it is alleged that the two Governments instructed the police via the Secretariat of London and Dublin officials not to ruffle paramilitary feathers following the signing of the Agreement mid-1998. They sometimes could only observe but not intervene. Apparently such a strategy was necessary to 'protect the peace process'. It's also alleged that parts of the police service were only operating Monday-Friday 9-5 to save money.

[Castlebar]

No Bombs, No casualties

Your heroes, the men of Para One, needed no bombs whatsoever to machine gun fourteen unarmed civilians to death on Bloody Suday. Are you a pathetic liar, or do you consider the Irish to be subhuman and therefore not casualties?

[Norn Iron]

My heroes are not soldiers, legal or illegal, but human beings who have striven to make life better for everyone in Northern Ireland.

What we have gained in legal rights we have lost in human values. Families that would have had a reputation for honesty and decency have now found themselves caught up in the mafiaisation of our society.

The campaign for rights led on to paramilitarism which in turn is transforming itself into gangsterism. This downward spiral is clearly visible in both unionist and nationalist communities.

Bad boys rule OK.