Omagh relatives delighted at McKevitt conviction
Relatives of the victims of the Omagh bombing are delighted with the conviction of Michael McKevitt on two terrorism charges.
Michael McKevitt has been convicted of two terrorism charges at the Special Criminal Court.
He is the first person to be convicted of directing terrorism in Ireland.
McKevitt, 53, has also been found guilty of being a member of the Real IRA.
Speaking after the verdict Laurence Rush, whose wife Elizabeth died in the Omagh bombing said: "I am delighted that McKevitt, although he didn't appear there, even though he was requested to appear, I am delighted that he was convicted on both charges.''
McKevitt is the first person in the Republic to be found guilty of directing terrorism after the Government brought in the new offence after the August 1998 Omagh bombing which killed 29 people including a woman pregnant with twins.
Even though the real IRA carried out the outrage, President of the Court, Mr Justice Richard Johnson stressed the offences McKevitt was convicted of dated from after that attack.
The case against McKevitt depended heavily on the evidence of star witness David Rupert, the American trucking company boss turned FBI agent.
Before McKevitt sacked his legal team during the trial, defence lawyers had tried to destroy Mr Rupert’s testimony as the work of a serial fantasist.
But Mr Justice Johnson dismissed their ploy and said of Mr Rupert: “Overall he had a very considerable knowledge of the fact to which he testified.”
Mr Rush said that the State had been vindicated but added: “It still leaves a wanting in myself.
“I feel at the same time I feel very happy at what happened.
“We are now waiting for the sentence,” he added.
“Maybe he might get a sentence which is parallel to the sentence he has given us in Omagh.
“I am very very very happy. I applaud the judges. I hope that we will continue this.
“It has been a really really long five years and it still hasn’t ended.”
He said that he was convinced that the witness David Rupert had been truthful during the course of the trial.
Asked if had a message for McKevitt Mr Rush said: “You make your bed, you lie in it and the judge will decide how long he will lie in it.”
Michael Gallagher, whose 21-year-old son Aiden was killed in the blast, said: “I’m absolutely delighted the verdict has gone the way it has.
“He (McKevitt) cannot orchestrate another atrocity such as Omagh.”
Other families stayed in court as the three judges retired amid uncertainty about whether sentence would be passed today.
The guilty verdict was sent down to McKevitt in his cell but he refused to give a character reference on his own behalf.
