Nuala O’Loan
The former Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland has called on the Irish Government to establish its own inquiry into the Omagh bombing to create a clear picture of the tragedy.
Baroness Nuala O’Loan investigated the August 15, 1998 incident in which 29 people and two unborn children died, describing it as the “single worst terrorist incident since the start of The Troubles”.
Following the beginning of the substantive Omagh Bombing inquiry, established by the UK government, Baroness O’Loan, writing in this paper said: “The Irish Government has promised full cooperation with the British Inquiry but has not established its own inquiry into what happened in Ireland before the bombing. It should do so.”
During Baroness O’Loan’s investigations it was discovered, among many other findings, that those responsible for the bomb – the RIRA (Real Irish Republican Army) – had been operating across the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and that “there is evidence that the bomb was made in Ireland and driven into Northern Ireland”.
Writing in this paper, Baroness O’Loan said: “These terrorists were working across the border. They were able to do so, despite the existence of anti-terrorist activity in the UK and Ireland.
“This is an opportunity to learn from the past, to care for the victims and survivors of Omagh. We need to be able to reassure them and the public in general that we know what happened, that we have identified how the Real IRA were able to operate with impunity in 1998.”
She added: “We have a responsibility to those so terribly affected by the Omagh Bomb to provide the most complete picture possible. This will emerge most effectively if there are two inquiries running side by side sharing all relevant information, with one aim; to establish what was known, whether the bomb could have been prevented.
“People need to know, above all, that their governments will not cover up at times like this, but will act with courage and integrity.”