Omagh attack inquiry decision 25 years later

British Northern Ireland Minister Chris Heaton-Harris has said an independent inquiry will be launched into the bombing that killed 29 people 25 years ago in the town of Omagh.

Heaton-Harris announced that the investigation will focus on questions such as whether security agencies had prior intelligence on the attack and whether they could prevent it.

Noting that she believes an independent inquiry into the grounds determined by the Supreme Court is the most appropriate form of inquiry, Heaton-Harris said she hopes this decision will bring some relief to families who have long been fighting to open a case. research.

IT WAS THE BLOODIEST ATTACK IN THE LAST 30 YEARS IN THE COUNTRY

In the Omagh attack, considered the bloodiest social event in the country in the last 30 years, 29 people, including children and women, died and more than 300 were injured as a result of the explosion of a bomb placed in a car park.

The attack, planned by the “Real IRA”, a breakaway group from the Irish Republican Army, was carried out 4 months after the “Good Friday” deal signed in 1998 as part of the UK-Ireland peace process.

The “Real IRA” claimed responsibility for the Omagh attack on August 15, 1998. Four members of this group were later found responsible for the attack in civil lawsuits.

A father who lost his son in the attack had filed a legal claim that weaknesses in intelligence services had led to “preventable atrocities” in a populated area.

Thereupon, the Belfast High Court ruled in 2021 that a new inquiry should be held into whether the “royal IRA” attack could have been prevented. (AA)