Real IRA bombs 'made by same person'
Bombs made in the run-up to the dissident republican explosion in Omagh, which killed 29 people, were all made by the same person, a witness told a court in Northern Ireland today.
Forensic scientist Dennis McAuley told Belfast Crown Court he was convinced 10 bombs planted by the Real IRA in 1998 had been made by the same person.
He claimed the soldering and wiring of timer power units used in the campaign were of a similar nature.
Mr McAuley was appearing at the trial of Sean Hoey, 37, who is accused of 58 terrorism offences.
His defence team argued that the claim was merely a guess with no scientific reason.
"I believe there is support for the proposition that these, the Northern Ireland 1998 units, were made by the same person rather than a group of people sharing knowledge.
“It is a combination of things, from the components used, the mounting of the major components, the sequence of the components in the electrical circuit, the wiring characteristics and configuration and the characteristics of the soldered wiring connections,” said Mr McAuley.
All the attacks were launched using timer power units (TPUs) contained in plastic lunchboxes and Mr McAuley claimed they were of poor and unusual quality.
He has examined 47 of the devices during his career at the Forensic Science Northern Ireland Laboratories near Belfast.
The RIRA’s campaign culminated in a massive explosive in Omagh’s Market Street on August 15, 1998 which left bodies scattered around the busy shopping street.
Hoey, from Molly Road, Jonesborough, Co Armagh, denies any involvement and his defence team, headed by Orlando Pownall QC, wants Mr McAuley’s evidence thrown out because of an alleged lack of scientific expertise.
Mr Pownall said: "This is the only time that you have vouchsafed an opinion about soldering - there is no evidence as to whether the solder used is unique to the Omagh series or not.
“If you have never done it before or since, how do you know how many people taken at random might solder in this way rather than in a different way? It’s a guess, isn’t it?”
The witness denied the accusation and said he had examined many devices.
The TPU in question is used to fire a detonator which sets off the explosive. It has been used to deadly effect on many occasions in Northern Ireland.
The RIRA’s 1998 onslaught began on March 24 with a mortar attack on a security tower in Crossmaglen, south Armagh. The mortars fired but fell short of the installation.
There were further attacks on nearby Forkhill Army and police base, Beleek police station in Co Fermanagh, Armagh Barracks and Newry Courthouse.
A bomb in Banbridge on August 1 exploded, causing a number of minor injuries.
