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Gardaí allowed cars to be taken into Northern Ireland for terrorist activity, Omagh inquiry hears
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The Omagh Bombing Inquiry has heard evidence from former Police Ombudsman Northern Ireland officer Martin Bridger that a Garda whistleblower claimed a senior Garda officer permitted stolen cars to cross into Northern Ireland for intelligence-gathering purposes ahead of the 1998 bombing. Bridger also alleged that then-Secretary of State John Reid attempted to block the publication of a 2001 PONI report into the police handling of the inquiry. Additionally, PSNI DCI Pete Billingsley gave evidence regarding bomb warnings and evacuation procedures.
Wichtige Punkte
- Martin Bridger told the Omagh Bombing Inquiry that a Garda whistleblower claimed a senior Garda officer allowed stolen cars to cross into Northern Ireland to gather intelligence.
- Bridger stated that on at least two occasions in the months before the August 1998 Omagh bombing, cars were permitted to cross the border to develop intelligence.
- The Omagh bombing on 15 August 1998 killed 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins.
- Bridger alleged that in 2001, then-Secretary of State John Reid tried to discourage the publication of a PONI report because he was angry about the findings.
- PSNI DCI Pete Billingsley told the inquiry that inaccurate bomb warnings ultimately directed people towards the bomb during the evacuation.