Omagh bomb: Inquiry hears from expert on dissident republicans
The inquiry into the Omagh bombing has heard from an academic expert on dissident republicanism.
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.
Dr John Morrissey, associate professor in criminology at Maynooth University, gave evidence to the inquiry on Tuesday.
Dr Morrissey said he classified violent dissident republican groups, such as the Real IRA and the Continuity IRA, as groups which “espouse the continuation of what they refer to as the armed campaign or armed struggle”.
He discussed the origins of the Real IRA and Continuity IRA, which he linked back to 1996 when the Provisional IRA went on ceasefire after the bombing of Canary Wharf.
This led to a split in the group leading to the formation of the Real IRA.
Dr Morrison said “while the membership was small, they had significant experience, expertise, and access to weaponry within their membership to enable them to engage in extreme violence from the outset”.
