Gardaí allowed cars to be taken into NI for terrorist activity, Omagh inquiry hears

An Garda Síochána (Irish police) allowed cars to be taken into Northern Ireland for terrorist activity, the Omagh Bombing Inquiry has heard.

It came as Martin Bridger who worked as an officer for the Police Ombudsman Northern Ireland (PONI) gave evidence.

He said that a Garda whistleblower told him that a senior Garda officer allowed stolen cars to cross into Northern Ireland to gather intelligence.

Twenty-nine people - including a woman pregnant with twins - died in the bomb in the County Tyrone town on 15 August 1998. It was the biggest single atrocity in the Troubles.

The bombing 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 it could have been prevented by UK state authorities.

Bridger who described himself as a "career detective" has a background in anti-corruption policing in London and in 2012 he was commissioned by some of the families of the Omagh victims to compile a report into the bombing with the aim of triggering a cross border public inquiry.

He told the inquiry that he had carried out a comprehensive interview with a "credible" Garda officer who had an informant working with "violent dissident republicans" involved in the stealing of cars for use in terrorist activity.

He told the hearing that in January 1998 the Garda officer told him that "the boys are back in town" in relation to increasing dissident republican activity.

The officer reported this to a senior Garda.

Bridger said that in response to the information the senior Garda "put in place an operational response" meaning that cars "loaded with bombs" were interrupted.

"So on the one hand, when I was first told this, I thought well that's a pretty good operation that, they've done well there, they have interrupted people who were hell bent on moving those bombs to Northern Ireland or mainland UK."

But that on at least two occasions, in the months before the Omagh bombing, cars were allowed to cross into Northern Ireland by that senior Garda in an effort to "develop" the intelligence being gathered.

Bridgers also spoke of his time working for the Police Ombudsman's office under Baroness Nuala O'Loan.

He said in 2001 the then Secretary of State, John Reid, tried to stop the publication of a report by PONI into the handling of the police inquiry into the bombing.

He told the inquiry that the secretary of state was "very angry about her findings" and "sought to discourage publication of the report as drafted".

He paid tribute to how Ombudsman Baroness O'Loan dealt with the pressure she faced.

"I think her strength of character that she displayed through those few days was immense".

Bridgers also raised questions about the reported close working relationship between the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and An Garda Síochána on investigating the Omagh Bombing.

"I have to say everything I visited, everyone I have spoken to, every document I have looked at I am still of the view that I'm not sure that is the case".

Earlier in the day DCI Pete Billingsley of the PSNI was back in front of the inquiry to take questions.

He was asked if the "gross inaccuracy" of the bomb warnings had made things worse.

"That would be my personal view that with the inaccuracy it caused the evacuation to ultimately direct people towards the bomb effectively."

He also said that the timer used on the bomb could have facilitated a longer warning time but was set to about 45 minutes.

He also said that he had seen "material that suggests" that the suspected bombers went to Dunnes Stores after leaving the bomb in Omagh.