Feature

Counter Terrorism Strategy

Major risk and concern

On 13 August 1998 a maroon Vauxhall Cavalier registration number was stolen from Carrickmacross, County Monaghan in the Republic of Ireland (RoI) (Ware, 2000:1).  It was reported that the criminals replaced the vehicles RoI registration plates 91-DL-2554 with false plates MDZ 5211 of the style used in Northern Ireland in order to remain inconspicuous when driving across the border (NI) (Kelly et al, 2008:1).

On Saturday 15 August 1998 the car was driven across the border from RoI to NI and at approximately 2.19pm the vehicle laden with an estimated 500lb of fertiliser-based explosives was parked outside Kells’ Clothes Shop in Market Street, Omagh, Northern Ireland. 

Saturday, 15 August 1998 was a busy day for Omagh shoppers.  Just two weeks until school resumed after the summer and many parents had their children with them shopping in Omagh's two school-uniform specialists - SD Kells and Watersons.  Elsewhere, students home from University were working 'summer jobs' in shops. Other people were shopping for music, groceries, getting a haircut or just meeting friends.  Later that day, a carnival was due to move through the town centre.  The town was packed (Johnston, nk).

At 2.32pm Ulster Television received a telephone warning stating “there’s a bomb, courthouse, Omagh, Main Street, 500lb, explosion 30 minutes”.  One minute later, the office received a second warning saying “Martha Pope (RIRA’s recognised codeword), bomb, Omagh town, 15 minutes.  A minute later the Samaritans office in Coleraine received a call stating that a bomb would explode in “Main Street” about 200 yards from the courthouse.  All information was passed to the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC).

RUC officers were clearing the area around the courthouse when the bomb detonated approximately 40 minutes after the telephone warnings (BBC, 1998).  Unbeknown to the RUC, they had been clearing the wrong area and had inadvertently chaperoned the public in to the area where the bomb laden vehicle was parked. 

At approximately 3.10pm the bomb exploded to devastating effect.  21 people were killed outright with initial reports of 220 injured.  Later reports counted 31 dead, including an expectant mother of twins and over 300 injured (Melaugh and McKenna, nk). 

Brennan (2008:1) stated "Some were killed at the scene, some died later in hospital.  Some suffered severe head injuries, some suffered multiple internal injuries, some suffered traumatic amputation of arms and legs and one victim was decapitated." 

The efforts of the emergency services at the scene were hampered by a burst water main which sent water flooding down the street, broken electricity cables which presented danger and the complete collapse of the telephone system in the centre of the town.

The Omagh bomb remains the deadliest single attack in the history of Irelands’ “Troubles”.

On 18 August 1998 the ‘Real’ IRA claimed responsibility for the bombing. 

Profile – Real Irish Republican Army

The Real IRA or RIRA has close overlapping links with Óglaigh na hÉireann (Volunteers of Ireland), the 32 County Sovereignty Movement (32CSM), Sinn Fein and the Provisional IRA (PIRA).

The 32CSM is widely regarded as the political wing of the "Reals". Along with the Continuity IRA and Óglaigh na hÉireann, they constitute the "republican dissidents" whose activities generate alarm and derision in equal measure from the political and media mainstream (McCann, 2010:1).

RIRA is a nationalist paramilitary organisation with the ideology of a united Ireland, to be created by forcing British withdrawal from Northern Ireland through the use of physical force.

In its 'Real' Irish Republican Army statement (Melaugh, 2003:1), the organisation rejects the Mitchell Peace Principles and the Belfast Agreement, comparing the latter to the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty which resulted in the partition of Ireland.  RIRA aims to uphold an uncompromising form of Irish republicanism and opposes any political settlement that falls short of Irish unity and independence.

RIRA formed in 1997 following a split in the Provisional IRA in dispute over the 1997 ceasefire and the Good Friday Agreement, with RIRA choosing instead to continue the armed struggle against the British Government and Loyalists.

RIRA employs the same tactics as PIRA used in the 1990s by bombing town centres to damage the economic infrastructure.  RIRA targets those deemed legitimate targets, generally members of the Security Forces, by close quarter assassination shootings.  Additional methods of attack include the use of land mines, home-made mortars and car bombs (Boyne, 1998:1)

RIRA is an illegal organisation in the Republic of Ireland and designated as a terrorist organisation in the United Kingdom and the United States.

In varying reports it has been suggested that RIRA has a membership of up to 300 activists.  Research has found that the media rarely publishes the names of arrested or incarcerated members, but does publish the names of deceased suspected members.  A list of names found during research is attached at Annex A. 

The command structure of RIRA mirrors that of PIRA in that it is hierarchical.  There is a 7-member Army Council, a Chief of Staff, a Quartermaster General, a Director of Training, a Director of Operations, a Director of Finance, a Director of Publicity and an Adjutant General (Mooney and O’Toole, 2003:40-45).

Following public outcry and media pressure, RIRA announced a "suspension" of military activities three days after the Omagh bombing.   On 8 September 1998 RIRA announced a cease-fire (BBC, 1998:1). 

Security forces (SF) on both sides of the Irish border believe that RIRA abandoned its ceasefire in June 1999.  SF received a genuine a coded statement from an outfit called the "true" IRA which SF said, consisted of former members of the IRA and Real IRA (Mullin, 1999,1).

The statement received in June 1999, said the "true" IRA was abandoning its ceasefire because of recent arrests on both sides of the border of individuals suspected of involvement in the Omagh bombing.  The statement also cited the UK government's decision to deploy a further 1,300 troops to Northern Ireland to cope with an increased threat of violence during the Orange Order marching season (Mullin, 1999:1).

RIRA continues to this day with its economic and so called ‘legitimate’ targeting of representatives of British governance, i.e. Security Force personnel.  RIRA has claimed responsibility for numerous attacks including firebomb attacks in Belfast in 2004, attacks on Police Service Northern Ireland (PSNI) patrols in 2006, attacks on businesses in Newry in 2006 through to the killing of PC Ronan Kerr in April 2011.  PSNI found a 500lb bomb inside a van under a bridge below the main Belfast/Dublin road in April 2011 which has been attributed to RIRA (Hicks, 2011).

RIRA does not enjoy the support or funding from USA that PIRA once enjoyed.  Arguably the events of 9/11/2001 changed the global appetite to support terrorist causes no matter how ‘romantic’.

RIRA chief Michael McKevitt was found liable for the Omagh bomb.

After a 14-month civil hearing, a judge in Belfast has ruled that four alleged members of the RIRA - Michael McKevitt, Liam Campbell, Seamus Daly and Colm Murphy - were responsible for the 1998 attack and the murder of 29 people and unborn twins.  RIRA as an organisation was also found to be responsible for the deaths (McClements, 2009).

RIRA continue to recruit in Ireland and the UK mainland and focus on recruiting young disenchanted teenagers.  Evidence of RIRA recruiting at Glasgow Celtic’s Parkhead stadium was recently uncovered (Mills, 2009).

The Target
From 2.32pm, three telephone calls had been made within minutes of each to warn of the bomb in Omagh town centre.  The calls used the same codeword that had been used in RIRAs bomb attack in Banbridge (BBC, 1998:1).  Calls were unclear in giving the location of the bomb; it is not known whether this was intentional.  The location “Main Street” was given, but Omagh does not have a Main Street.  A second warning had mentioned “courthouse” and a third message stated “Omagh Town”.

The unclear location prompted RUC to cordon the area around the Court House and marshal the public to the area of where the bomb was located.  Bombing of the Courthouse would fit with RIRA/PIRA past tactical profiles as the legal system has been associated as a reminder of British rule in Ireland, further, the legal system incarcerates many terrorists.   There remain theories that the bombers intention was to bring the public close to the vehicle so as to increase the devastation. 

RUC initially believed the intended target was the Courthouse, however, in a twist of fate, there was no parking bay available.  The terrorists stationed the vehicle in an alternative location on Market Street (Melaugh, 2000:1).

Market Street as a target would also fit with past RIRA/PIRA tactics in bringing economic turmoil to local communities, highlighting that the British Government has no control in Northern Ireland. 

The size of the bomb, 500lb was the largest used by RIRA.  Market Street is relatively narrow in diameter with stone/glass fronted buildings.  Such a large bomb in such a small enclosed environment would clearly create a devastating effect, impacting almost the length and breadth of the street.  Arguably, it would have been very naive of experienced RIRA planners not to have considered this devastating impact.

Lord Daniel Brennan QC (2008:1) stated during the civil case in Belfast High Court that it was the plaintiff’s case that those behind the bombing had set out to cause massive carnage and he rejected statements made by the Real IRA in the wake of the bombing that “they had not intended injury or death, purely commercial damage”.

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