Twenty seven people named as 'key individuals' at Omagh bombing inquiry

Security forces examine the scene of the Omagh bombing. There is rubble across the road and officers are wearing uniform and hard hats.

Twenty seven people have been identified as "key individuals" in the Omagh bombing investigations, the inquiry into the atrocity has heard.

Twenty-nine people, including a woman pregnant with twins, died in the Real IRA bombing in the County Tyrone town on 15 August 1998 - the biggest single atrocity in the Troubles.

It came less than three months after the people of Northern Ireland had voted yes to the Good Friday Agreement.

The inquiry, which opened last year with 14 days of testimony from bereaved families and survivors, was established to determine if the bombing could have been prevented by UK state authorities.

The inquiry was given an overview of his career which included working on the investigation into the Manchester Arena bombing.

The inquiry legal team provided Safranauskas with information including video evidence, witness statements and information from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and Garda (Irish police).

A presentation by Safranauskas outlined the "key individuals" linked to the bombing.

The presentation featured maps and pictures of the individuals. It focused on the Coes Road area of Dundalk in Ireland where some of the named lived, worked or socialised.

Among those named are Michael McKevitt, Liam Campbell, Colm Murphy and Seamus Daly who in 2009 were found liable for the Omagh bombing.

Some of the people named had links to the 32 County Sovereignty Movement.

The counsel to the inquiry pointed out that being a key individual does not necessarily mean they are a suspect.

"We make clear that Mr Safranauskas has not conducted his own independent investigation, but has relied upon the inquiry legal team to direct him as to what should be included in his presentations," he said.

"The identification of any particular individual as being key is not the same thing as saying that they may have been knowingly involved in the bombing."

What was the Omagh bomb?

The Omagh bomb exploded on 15 August 1998, killing 29 people including a woman pregnant with twins.

More than 200 people were injured in the blast.

No-one has ever been convicted of the atrocity.

Who carried out the Omagh bombing?

Three days after the attack, the Real IRA released a statement claiming responsibility for the explosion.

It apologised to "civilian" victims and said its targets had been commercial.

No-one has been convicted of carrying out the murders by a criminal court.

In 2009, Michael McKevitt, Liam Campbell, Colm Murphy and Seamus Daly were all ordered to pay a total of £1.6m in damages to the relatives, but appeals against the ruling delayed the compensation process.

Original source Twenty seven people named as 'key individuals' at Omagh bombing inquiry

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