Omagh bombing

The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland the Rt Hon Chris Heaton-Harris MP has today announced that an independent statutory inquiry will be established ...

Work has begun to establish the independent statutory inquiry as soon as possible. Its impact was felt not just in Northern Ireland, but across the world. A final report will be published that will respond to each of the issues identified by the Court.

Real IRA bomb that exploded in the Co Tyrone town on August 15th, 1998, killed 29 people.

- Fred White, 60 years old, Omagh. - Jolene Marlow, 17 years old, Omagh. - Samantha McFarland, 17 years old, Omagh. - Brenda Logue, 17 years old, Omagh. - Olive Hawkes, 60 years old, Omagh. Speaking on Thursday, Mr Heaton-Harris told MPs: “I have listened to the representations of these families and taken their varying perspectives into account.

Investigation will examine whether Northern Ireland terrorist attack could have been prevented.

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Minister for Justice Simon Harris said they would await to see the details of the UK's inquiry before announcing what action they would take, but said it is ...

“The British government is not my enemy, the Irish government is not my enemy, we support the police on both sides of the border. Minister for Justice Simon Harris said they would await to see the details of the UK’s inquiry before announcing what action they would take, but said it is those who carried out the attack who “carry responsibility for the brutal act”. It comes as the father of a victim of the attack accused the Government of “running away from their responsibilities”.

Northern Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris says the 1998 atrocity does not fall under the scope of the UK government's proposed legacy bill.

“So the Government in Dublin would also need to talk to the families,” he said. And today the British Government have put victims first. “I absolutely support the families, as I feel that those families are going to be left behind. However, it is also important to emphasise that this is not a full public inquiry into the bombing. On the one hand, they have people over here being given one remedy, but then saying to others: ‘I’m taking yours off you’.” The bill for the Saville Inquiry into Bloody Sunday eventually ran to about £200m million.

The dissident republican bomb exploded in the Co Tyrone town on August 15, 1998, killing 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins.

Mr Heaton-Harris said: “I have listened to the representations of these families and taken their varying perspectives into account. It is a day back in August 1998 when we really appreciate all the efforts today. “While welcoming today’s announcement, it also serves as a reminder of the need to deal effectively with the legacy of the past, in a manner which advances the fundamental goal of reconciliation.” Mr Shannon said that the bombing was “planned and assembled and transported from within the Republic of Ireland”, and called for the Irish Government to set up a similar inquiry, adding: “Would the Secretary of State agree that unless there is such an investigation it is unlikely that the full truth about what happened that day will be brought to light?” It comes as the Government has been urged to open a similar investigation in order to establish the “full truth” about the Omagh bombing. He went on: “I know that this is a significant decision and I’m keen to explain now to the House why I believe it is also the most appropriate course of action.

Car bomb killed 29 people in deadliest atrocity of Northern Ireland's Troubles.

“I look forward to receiving that detail and then consulting with my cabinet colleagues, in particular the minister for justice, about the next steps.” Not all the bereaved in Omagh want an inquiry. Michael Gallagher, whose son Aiden was one of the dead, brought a judicial review that led to the 2021 high court ruling by Mr Justice Horner. The bombing was a horrific terrorist atrocity that inflicted untold damage on the families of those killed and injured, said the minister. Heaton-Harris told the Commons he could not compel the Irish government to open its own investigation but expressed hope for cooperation. [Real IRA](https://www.theguardian.com/uk/real-ira) detonated the car bomb four months after the Good Friday agreement supposedly drew a line under the Troubles.

Information from confidential Garda sources will be provided, senior sources say.

The decision to establish the inquiry comes after many years of campaigning by relatives of the bomb victims. The 1998 atrocity saw 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins, killed by the Real IRA bomb. It is understood that some form of information-gathering exercise with a view to supplying assistance to the inquiry could be among the options considered by Dublin, but officials stressed that no decisions would be made pending further discussions with the British Government and the publication of the terms of reference.