Omagh relatives fear bombers will never be caught
The terrorists who murdered 29 people in the Omagh bombing will probably never be captured, relatives said today.
As Michael McKevitt was convicted in Dublin, victims of his dissident organisation which was responsible for the August 1998 outrage hit out at the failure of the inquiry to deliver the men responsible.
Even though police on both sides of the border have identified the key terrorists who plotted and carried out the atrocity, nobody has yet been charged with any of the killings.
Relatives are involved in a £10 million civil action against the suspects.
A British High Court bid to sue them for compensation may start later this year, but Michael Gallagher believes the killers may never be brought before a judge in a criminal court.
Mr Gallagher, whose son Aiden, 21, was among those killed, admitted: “It’s looking highly unlikely they will ever be caught and brought to justice.”
Confidence in the police investigation has drained ever since a damning report revealed Special Branch handlers received two warnings before Omagh of an imminent attack but never passed them on to detectives in the Co Tyrone town.
Police Ombudsman Nuala O’Loan’s devastating dossier on the inquiry also accused former chief constable Sir Ronnie Flanagan of flawed leadership.
In a bid to restore confidence in the investigation, police insisted today that they were actively following several lines of inquiry.
Detective Superintendent Norman Baxter, who heads a team of 24 detectives working full-time on the investigation, stressed there was full cross-border police co-operation.
He said: “Personally, I also find it disappointing that we have arrived at the fifth anniversary of the Omagh bomb without a successful prosecution against the perpetrators of this atrocity.”
But Mr Gallagher claimed detectives faced an impossible task because the British and Irish Governments have refused to provide full backing.
“The Police Service of Northern Ireland is carrying out this investigation with one hand tied behind its back,” he said.
“It’s common knowledge that intelligence and security services have infiltrated all the main paramilitary organisations, including the dissidents.
“The families believe they are not bringing that influence to bear on the investigation.
“There has never been the political will in London or Dublin to resolve this crime.”
Mr Baxter, who has met the families regularly to brief them on the inquiry, accepted they felt angry that no one has been prosecuted for the bombing.
He added: “I understand the sense of frustration of the bereaved and the victims at the failure of the criminal justice system to bring this investigation to a successful conclusion.
“I can assure the victims, the people of Omagh and the wider public that we remain firm in our resolve to bring those responsible to account.”
