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In the single deadliest event of the Troubles, 29 people were killed by a car bomb in Northern Ireland’s County Tyrone on 15 August 1998.
ADVERTISEMENTThe Omagh bombing inquiry has started, more than 26 years after a bomb ripped through a busy street in a Northern Irish town, killing 29 people and injuring more than 200 others. The deadliest single attack during the Troubles took place in Omagh, County Tyrone, on 15 August 1998, four months after the signing of the Good Friday Agreement brought hopes of an end to more than three decades of sectarian violence. A woman pregnant with twins was among the victims, as were nine children, including a baby. The car bombing was claimed by the Real IRA (RIRA), a dissident republican group who thought that the Provisional IRA was wrong to agree to a ceasefire.Although people have been charged in connection with the bombing, no one has ever been convicted of the crime by a criminal court. Families of the victims have long campaigned for an inquiry into whether the tragedy could have been prevented. Some say there might have been a different outcome had British security agents shared intelligence with the Northern Irish police about the RIRA, who had carried out a wave of attacks prior to the Omagh bombing.In 2021, Britain’s High Court ruled that it was plausible the Omagh bombing could have been stopped.Two years later, the UK’s then-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Chris Heaton-Harris announced an inquiry. “Having carefully considered the judgment of the High Court, I believe that an independent statutory inquiry is the most appropriate form of further investigation,” he said. How will the inquiry work?Lord Turnbull, who is leading the inquiry, has said its purpose is “to determine whether there were steps which could reasonably have been taken by the United Kingdom state authorities to prevent the bombing.””The responsibility for all that occurred on the day lies squarely with those terrorists who made, transported and planted the bomb,” he added. Lord Turnbull has said the inquiry, which does not have the power to determine any individual’s criminal liability, could take some time. He has also warned that the inquiry might have to look at some sensitive information behind closed doors. The inquiry opened at the Strule Arts Centre in Omagh on Tuesday, with the names of all the victims read aloud. ADVERTISEMENTDuring its first phase, which will last approximately a month, the inquiry will commemorate the victims of the bombing. It will also hear personal statements from those injured in or directly affected by the blast. On Tuesday morning, Lord Turnbull said those watching the hearings would “be shocked at the level of grief imposed on ordinary, decent members of society doing nothing other than living their daily lives.” Paul Greaney KC, senior counsel to the inquiry, said: “Understanding the impact of the bombing is critical to the investigation of the issue of preventability and for that reason we will not shy away from shining a bright light on the terrible consequences of that day.“Two Spanish victims are being commemorated on the first day of the hearings. Fernando Blasco Baselga, 12, and Rocio Abad Ramos, 23, were killed while visiting the country as part of a language exchange programme. ADVERTISEMENT
