Report: Omagh could not have been prevented

A review into claims that the British secret service was monitoring dissident republicans as they drove the Omagh bomb to its target has dismissed reports that the explosion could have been prevented.

A BBC investigation claimed that the British government's main communications surveillance station had been monitoring mobile phone calls being made by the bombers as they drove to Omagh.

Families of those killed in the bombing were outraged and demanded a public inquiry.

Instead, the British government asked the Intelligence Services Commissioner, Peter Gibson, to inquire into the claims.

His report, published today, said any information on the bombers taken from telephone intercepts was passed to police and could not have prevented the atrocity.

Mr Gibson also said he has seen no evidence that gardaí had warned the PSNI of any likely attack.

Relatives of the Omagh bomb victims have dismissed the outcome of the inquiry.

Victims' spokesman Michael Gallagher says the findings were predictable and make no difference to the families' call for a full public inquiry.