Understand
Omagh bomb inquiry hears that analysing 500 million calls fell to one person
Overview
A public inquiry into the 1998 Omagh bombing has heard that the task of analysing 500 million phone calls fell to a single person. Evidence presented by the PSNI and An Garda Síochána detailed the investigation into the atrocity, which killed 29 people, addressing issues such as resource scaling, bomb parts linked to previous attacks, and legislative limitations regarding DNA retention at the time.
Key points
- A public inquiry was told that the painstaking work of analysing 500 million calls related to the Omagh bombing fell to just one person.
- PSNI Det Ch Insp Pete Billingsley stated that while the initial investigation team was significant, more than half the investigators were removed seven weeks after the bombing.
- Between 2008 and 2016, there was no senior investigating officer assigned to the inquiry, resulting in no active investigation during that period.
- An Garda Síochána evidence revealed that timer parts recovered from the bomb were linked to several other attacks in 1998.
- No DNA swabs were taken from suspects arrested by Irish police at the time because legislation did not allow for the retention of DNA samples for future analysis.