Man appears in court in connection with Omagh bomb atrocity
A man appeared in court in Northern Ireland today charged in connection with the Omagh bomb atrocity.
Sean Gerard Hoey, 34, an unemployed electrician from Jonesborough, Co Armagh, was charged with possession of an explosive substance - a timer power unit - used in the bombing which killed 29 people on August 15 1998.
He faced a further 14 charges including membership of the Real IRA, the group which claimed responsibility for the Omagh bombing, and conspiring to cause an explosion in Lisburn, Co Antrim, three months before the attack.
He appeared at Craigavon Magistrates Court, Co Armagh, surrounded by armed police and was remanded in custody until October 2.
The charge in relation to the Omagh bombing stated “that on a date unknown between the 12th day of March 1997 and the 16th day of August 1998 within the jurisdiction of the County Court unlawfully and maliciously had in your possession or under your control a certain explosive substance namely, a timer power unit described as a Mark 19 model, with intent by means thereof to endanger life or cause serious injury to property in the United Kingdom or to enable some other person so to do contrary to Section 3 (1) (b) of the Explosive Substances Act 1883”.
The 24 detectives still dedicated to the Omagh bomb enquiry have reviewed a whole range of bomb offences and 12 of the charges, all identical to that relating to Omagh involve other attacks.
A 14th charge relates to the conspiracy to cause an explosion in Lisburn on the April 30, 1998.
The final charge was membership of the Real IRA between the March 12, 1997 and the September 2, 2003, when he was arrested during a major police operation involving some 200 officers in his home village of Jonesborough.
In answer to questions from a defence solicitor, Detective Chief Inspector agreed that the accused had been previously interviewed on three occasions and released without charge.
He said evidence was of a forensic nature, telephone analysis and the similarity between the timer power units used in the attacks.
He said there was DNA evidence but not in relation to the possession charges such as that relating to Omagh.
He was linked to the possession charges “in the opinion of a very experienced forensic officer who says he is connected”, he said.
The detective said it was an ongoing inquiry but added: “We believe there is sufficient evidence to charge him.”
The defence solicitor insisted that on the possession charges there was “absolutely no evidence” to connect his client with the charges.
The accused arrived and left the court huddled in the back of an unmarked police car with a blue blanket over his head.
Michael Gallagher, whose son was one of the 29 killed, along with more than 200 who were injured in the bombing, sat impassively in the public gallery surrounded by other relatives during the hearing.
He said afterwards: “For me personally it was difficult to watch a very insignificant person in the dock who is accused of destroying the lives of so many people.”
Mr Gallagher is one of the Omagh relatives who has launched a civil action against five dissident Republicans who they believe were responsible for the bombing.
To date only one person has been convicted on the Omagh atrocity – publican Colm Murphy, who received 14 years in the Special Criminal Court in Dublin for helping to plot the attack.
Last month Michael McKevitt was convicted of directing terrorism in the Republic. He was allegedly the leader of the Real IRA at the time of the Omagh bombing, however he has not been convicted directly of involvement in the attack.
McKevitt and Murphy were among the five people named in writs issued by the Omagh relatives.
Hoey was not amongst the five they launched action against.
