Man charged over Omagh bomb probe

A 34-year-old man will appear in court today, accused of supplying the car used by the Real IRA to plant the Omagh bomb which killed 29 people in 1998.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland said the man was due in court in Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh, this morning.

The man, from Dundalk, Co Louth was detained by police on Monday in the northern border town of Newry, Co Down, a few miles north of Dundalk.

The PSNI said he had been charged by detectives from the Omagh bomb investigation team with providing property of use to terrorists.

The charge states that between Aug 11 and 16, 1998, he supplied the maroon Vauxhall Cavalier car which exploded in Omagh.

It caused huge devastation and the worst single loss of life in any single terrorist atrocity in Northern Ireland during 30 years of violence.

No one has yet been charged with committing the murders in Omagh.

Colm Murphy, also from Dundalk, was sentenced to 14 years in relation to the bombing by the Special Criminal Court in Dublin for conspiracy to cause an explosion. Last month the conviction was overturned on appeal and a retrial was ordered.

Another man, Sean Hoey from Co Armagh, is on remand in prison awaiting trial in Northern Ireland on a series of terrorist charges relating to Real IRA bombings, including possession of a timer power unit between March 1997 and the day after the Omagh bombing in August 1998.

Last night’s charge came just days after senior officers stressed the investigation into the Real IRA atrocity was continuing.

About 500 lines of inquiry have still to be checked out by detectives from the PSNI and Gardaí.

Relatives of some of the victims of the bombing have launched a civil action against the five men they suspect of plotting the outrage which also injured several hundred people.

Colm Murphy, together with Michael McKevitt, Seamus Daly, Seamus McKenna and Liam Campbell are being sued for £14m (€20.3m) by the Omagh Victims Civil Action Group.

Despite delays, the families hope their landmark case will be heard in the Northern Ireland High Court later this year.