'New evidence' over Omagh bombing
Police officers and firefighters inspect the damage caused by the bomb explosion in Market Street, Omagh, in 1998
New evidence on the Omagh bombing has emerged to strengthen calls for an international inquiry into the atrocity, bereaved families have said.
The 1998 car bomb planted by dissident republicans opposed to the peace process killed 29 people in the Co Tyrone town, including a woman pregnant with twins.
The loss of life was the worst of any single attack of the Troubles and campaigners have demanded a cross-border inquiry into whether the authorities could have done more to prevent it.
Michael Gallagher, whose 21-year-old son Aiden was murdered in the attack, said a report being compiled at the request of the relatives has uncovered new information.
"We are confident this report will contain new evidence to support our call for a cross-border inquiry," he said. "It is a work in progress. It is very difficult to put a time span on when it will be completed. There is much more material then we first thought."
He declined to comment on the nature of the new evidence, but predicted the report could be ready as early as mid-March and would add pressure on the governments.
Mr Gallagher's comments came as members of the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee visited Omagh and met some of the bereaved families.
Committee chairman Laurence Robertson laid a wreath on behalf of the MPs at a memorial to the victims of the Real IRA attack.
Mr Gallagher said he informed the committee of the report the Omagh Support and Self Help Group has commissioned from a group of London-based consultants.
He said the consultants have legal and investigative expertise and have started to trawl the huge amount of material already compiled on the bombing. This includes police reports from both sides of the Irish border, a probe carried out by the Police Ombudsman in Northern Ireland, plus a government-sponsored review of how intelligence on the attack was handled.
Press Association
