NORTHERN Ireland’s former police ombudsman has sparked a row by calling for a public inquiry into the Omagh bombing, saying that it could have been prevented.
In reply, Police Service of Northern Ireland chief constable George Hamilton has insisted officers could not have prevented the blast which took place 20 years ago yesterday and killed 29 people, including a woman pregnant with unborn twins.
Former ombudsman Nuala O’Loan investigated police actions in the lead-up to the bomb and, in a report published in 2001, said she did not know whether the bomb could have been prevented, but yesterday Baroness O’Loan said she now believes it could have been stopped and there should be a public inquiry.
Chief Constable Hamilton issued a statement saying: “The former police ombudsman, Baroness Nuala O’Loan, has today alleged it is her firm view that the bombing could have been prevented.
“I consider this comment to be inaccurate, unfair and unreasonable.
“Police were not in a position to prevent the Omagh bombing.
“I do not know what has led Baroness O’Loan to a conclusion that differs so much from her remarks of 2001.
“Considerations around a public inquiry into the Omagh bombing are a matter for government.”
Baroness O’Loan then stood by her comments, saying: “It is my understanding of the further information which has emerged, some of which I am not in a position to talk about, but we have seen work by very prominent journalists and we have seen the various inquiries by Sir Peter Gibson and people like that. And we can see Gibson very carefully choosing his language about the reasonableness of the police actions in disclosing or not disclosing intelligence.
“We know that 78% of the intelligence was not disclosed, we know that there is a body of evidence and intelligence now about the tracking of people, intercepted telephone calls, so there is a lot more.”
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