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IRISH FREEDOM COMMITTEE NEWSLIST

www.irishfreedomcommittee.net

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Subject: RUC Knew Details of Omagh Bombing

Date: Friday December 07, 2001

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"Intelligence does not refer to Omagh"- RUC report on an informant's warning dated 08 04 98; 11 days before the bombing

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Clearly what Republican activists and witnesses on the ground have been saying all along regarding the atrocity at Omagh is correct. A report issued yesterday by the Police Ombudsman's Office reveals that police knew details about the attack up to 11 days before it happened, yet for reasons unknown permitted it to go ahead-- and chose not to send in extra police or take any preventative measures on behalf of the citizenry whatsoever. Preventative measures do appear to have been taken on behalf of the security forces however, with a very diminished police presence in Omagh the day of the bombing; and no reported injury or death by any member of the security forces.

Witnesses at the scene on the day of the bombing described how they were herded to stand together on one corner, while officers stood across the street. Witnesses also described how they wanted to leave immediately and go home, but were prevented; as streets were sealed off.

Tapes of the reportedly "confused" warnings, which thus far have been repeatedly blamed for the number of casualties, have never been released.

The British government used the catastrophe to usher in a series of draconian laws enforcing special police powers, and used the atrocity as a bargaining chip in relations with the US, to pressure further restrictions on any group who voices opposition to continued British military rule in Ireland. The British wanted casualties, and they got them.

The Irish Freedom Committee

www.irishfreedomcommittee.net

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IAIS News - Thursday December 06, 2001

1. SHOCK REPORT SAYS RUC KNEW ABOUT OMAGH THREAT

2. FAMILIES SHOCK AT OMAGH RUC REVELATIONS

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SHOCK REPORT SAYS RUC KNEW ABOUT OMAGH THREAT

2001-12-06 12:31:00 EST

A major investigation has revealed that the Royal Ulster Constabulary had information about a planned attack in Omagh 11 days before the 1998 bombing which left 29 people dead.

The findings are contained in a draft report by the Police Ombudsman in Northern Ireland.

It found that RUC Special Branch had been warned about a planned attack on 15 August - the day of the atrocity - but that information was not passed to police officers on the ground.

The damaging report says that had the information been passed on and security checkpoints been put in place, the bombers may have been deterred.

The Omagh bombing was later admitted by the dissident republican Real IRA. The ombudsman's report is now with the RUC Chief Constable and Northern Ireland Secretary.

The Ombudsman, Nuala O'Loan, began to examine police intelligence on the Omagh attack after an informant claimed in two newspapers that he had passed on information about a bomb being made by republican dissidents.

One of those papers - the Sunday People - claimed that no action had been taken because the bomb maker, named as Kevin Fulton, was also a police agent.

In response to the allegations, the Police Service of Northern Ireland said the report "contains so many significant factual inaccuracies, unwarranted assumptions, misunderstandings and material ommissions that a request has been made to the ombudsman's office for a reasonable period of time to respond in detail with what we see as the serious deficiencies in this report."

A statement added the service "absolutely rejects that either information provided by an agent code named Fulton or an anonymous call on 4 August 1998 could have led to the prevention of the atrocity".

It said its "primary consideration" was the feelings of the bereaved families and victims of the Omagh atrocity".

The ombudsman's investigators discovered there had been another warning to the police.

On 4 August, a detective constable in Omagh had spoken to an anonymous caller for over 10 minutes and had been told of a planned attack in the town on 15 August.

He passed that information to special branch, but they did not alert officers on the ground.

The ombudsman's draft report is understood to be scathing in its criticism of how this information was handled, both before and after the bombing.

The report is understood to make serious criticisms of how intelligence information was handled by the police. It says:

-There were "systemic failures in the handling of intelligence"

-This had deprived the murder investigation team of "important investigative and evidential opportunities"

-The arrangements for the interchange of information between officers were "totally unsatisfactory"

The report says information about the 4 August warning was found in a special branch file marked: "Intelligence does not refer to Omagh".

The ombudsman describes this as a "significant error" and as "inexplicable and inexcusable".

It should have formed "significant lines of enquiry" for the murder investigation team.

The 4 August warning received in Omagh came at a time of growing dissident IRA activity. Security assessments had pointed to co-operation between the various dissident groups.

Just three days before that warning, 35 people had been injured in a car bombing in Banbridge, County Down, again on a Saturday.

But the main criticisms are about the practices of RUC Special Branch, both in how it treated colleagues within the RUC and its response to the ombudsman's investigation - described as being "close to obstructive".

This unprecedented report could lead to calls for some sort of public inquiry into how the investigation has not delivered and why Special Branch officers failed to pass on information following the anonymous telephone tip-off three days after part of Banbridge, Co Down, was wrecked by a car bomb in a series of attacks by the Real IRA in the run-up to Omagh.

The anonymous caller spoke to an officer at Omagh police station on the morning of August 4 1998 warning that weapons were being smuggled over the border in preparation for an attack on police in the town on August 15, the day of the bombing.

It had been alleged Special Branch claimed that two men named by the caller as those who were to take delivery of the weapons in the days before the planned attack were criminals, and that the information was "not connected" to Omagh.

The two men with addresses in the greater Omagh area have never been questioned. The caller has never been identified - and the call never traced.

It is understood that the Ombudsman`s investigators were stunned at the alleged mishandling of the August 4 information.

One source said: "How it was managed was inexcusable."

Northern Ireland Secretary John Reid has said that he would not be commenting on revelations that Special Branch failed to warn senior RUC officers of a terrorist threat to Omagh, until he had seen the final version of the report by the Police Ombudsman.

In a statement Dr Reid added: "But there is one point which everyone should bear in mind: whether or not there are lessons to be learnt in this case - and with hindsight, there will always be arguments about specifics - nothing should every distract our attention from the suffering caused to the victims and their families by the evil people who planted the bomb in Omagh."

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FAMILIES SHOCK AT OMAGH RUC REVELATIONS

2001-12-06 16:51:00 EST

The relatives of some of 29 civilians killed in the Omagh bomb have expressed shock and anger at the revelations about prior warning to the RUC of an impending attack.

They are to be presented with a full copy of the Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman's draft report next Wednesday.

The report indicates that RUC Special Branch failed to alert senior police officers in Omagh about the threatened terrorist strike to take place there eventhough they had been tipped off 11 days before.

An anonymous tip-off was delivered 11 days before the attack in August 1998 which left 29 people dead, but the information was not passed on, according to a devastating report into the Royal Ulster Constabulary investigation of the outrage.

The anonymous caller spoke to an RUC officer at Omagh police station on the morning of August 4 1998 warning that weapons were being smuggled over the border in preparation for an attack on police in the town on August 15, the day of the bombing.

The officer passed the information to the Special Branch but it was July last year before its existence was discovered, the report found.

Families of those killed have reacted with shock and anger at the recent relevations.

Kevin Skelton's wife Philomena was killed in the blast and his daughter Shona was badly injured.

He said: "The police did their best to clear the town, but it is obvious that their handlers further up the line did not do their jobs."

He added: "This is just another part of British justice. I see it as a cover-up. This would not happen in England. I feel it is just being brushed under the carpet."

Stanley McCombe, whose wife Anne died in the bombing, said:

"I feel very angry about this. I want to see a proper investigation into everything that happened. It seems so lackadaisical. When we receive a copy of the report we can read more into it, but I have no doubt it could have been prevented if this information had been acted on."

He added: "There were very few police in Omagh at the time, and if this information was at hand and it said this is the real thing, and if they knew there was a bomb of that enormity in Northern Ireland, why did they not have security in all major towns and villages? There was a bomb attack in Banbridge a fortnight before Omagh and before that there was a bomb found on the Armagh border. The security chiefs should have known."

Michael Gallagher, whose son Aidan, 21, was killed said: "We thought things would get better, but as time has gone on we have seen things getting worse. We thought something would happen here, and it hasn't happened. When we meet next week and hear the ombudsman's full report, we will then come together and discuss how we move things forward. I just hope at the end of this process, the Omagh victims and their families will get justice."

Those who died in the Omagh bombing were:

:: Breda Devine, aged 20 months, from Co Tyrone.

:: Fernando Blasco Baselga, 12, Spanish schoolboy from Madrid.

:: Rocio Abad Ramos, 23, Spanish schoolteacher leading exchange visit to Co Donegal.

:: James Barker, 12-year-old schoolboy from Co Donegal.

:: Oran Doherty, 8-year-old schoolboy from Co Donegal.

:: Sean McLaughlin, 12-year-old schoolboy from Co Donegal.

:: Frederick White, 60, from Omagh.

:: Bryan White, 27, son of Frederick, from Omagh.

:: Esther Gibson, 36, from Co Tyrone.

:: Olive Hawkes, 60, from Co Tyrone.

:: Brenda Logue, 17-year-old student from Co Tyrone.

:: Gareth Conway, 18-year-old student from Co Tyrone.

:: Jolene Marlow, 17-year-old student from Co Tyrone.

:: Alan Radford, 16-year-old schoolboy, from Omagh.

:: Elizabeth Rush, 57, from Omagh.

:: Philomena Skelton, 49, from Co Tyrone.

:: Veda Short, 56, from Co Tyrone.

:: Ann McCombe, 48, from Omagh.

:: Geraldine Breslin, 43, from Omagh.

:: Aidan Gallagher, 21, from Omagh.

:: Samantha McFarland, 17-year-old student from Omagh.

:: Lorraine Wilson, 15-year-old schoolgirl from Omagh.

:: Julia Huges, 21-year-old student from Omagh.

:: Deborah Anne Cartwright, 20, from Omagh.

:: Brian McCrory, 54, from Omagh.

:: Mary Grimes, 66, from Co Tyrone.

:: Avril Monaghan, 30, daughter of Mary Grimes, she was heavily pregnant with twins, from Co Tyrone.

:: Maura Monaghan, 18 months, daughter of Avril;

:: Sean McGrath, 61, from Omagh - he died three weeks after the explosion.

:: Breda Devine, aged 20 months, from Co Tyrone.

:: Fernando Blasco Baselga, 12, Spanish schoolboy from Madrid.

:: Rocio Abad Ramos, 23, Spanish schoolteacher leading exchange visit to Co Donegal.

:: James Barker, 12-year-old schoolboy from Co Donegal.

:: Oran Doherty, 8-year-old schoolboy from Co Donegal.

:: Sean McLaughlin, 12-year-old schoolboy from Co Donegal.

:: Frederick White, 60, from Omagh.

:: Bryan White, 27, son of Frederick, from Omagh.

:: Esther Gibson, 36, from Co Tyrone.

:: Olive Hawkes, 60, from Co Tyrone.

:: Brenda Logue, 17-year-old student from Co Tyrone.

:: Gareth Conway, 18-year-old student from Co Tyrone.

:: Jolene Marlow, 17-year-old student from Co Tyrone.

:: Alan Radford, 16-year-old schoolboy, from Omagh.

:: Elizabeth Rush, 57, from Omagh.

:: Philomena Skelton, 49, from Co Tyrone.

:: Veda Short, 56, from Co Tyrone.

:: Ann McCombe, 48, from Omagh.

:: Geraldine Breslin, 43, from Omagh.

:: Aidan Gallagher, 21, from Omagh.

:: Samantha McFarland, 17-year-old student from Omagh.

:: Lorraine Wilson, 15-year-old schoolgirl from Omagh.

:: Julia Huges, 21-year-old student from Omagh.

:: Deborah Anne Cartwright, 20, from Omagh.

:: Brian McCrory, 54, from Omagh.

:: Mary Grimes, 66, from Co Tyrone.

:: Avril Monaghan, 30, daughter of Mary Grimes, she was heavily pregnant with twins, from Co Tyrone.

:: Maura Monaghan, 18 months, daughter of Avril;

:: Sean McGrath, 61, from Omagh - he died three weeks after the explosion.

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IRISH FREEDOM COMMITTEE NEWSLIST

www.irishfreedomcommittee.net

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Subject: Man sentenced to 5 Years in Special Criminal Court

Date: 12 07 01

The Irish Free State yesterday sentenced a 24-year old man to five years in prison for possessing printed material from Internet websites, and for maintaining silence under questioning.

The human rights record in the Irish Free State continues to be sullied by the Dublin Government's onward march into a "New Thatcherism".

Please a Christmas card to send Declan Carroll along with other Republican POWs listed on the Irish Freedom Committee website at:

www.irishfreedomcommittee.net

The Irish Freedom Committee

www.irishfreedomcommittee.net

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Irish Examiner

07/12/2001 1:46:03 PM

Dissident republican jailed for group membership

A senior dissident republican was today jailed for five years by the Special Criminal Court in Dublin after he was convicted of membership of an illegal organisation.

Declan Carroll, 25, of Edenmore Crescent, Raheny, Dublin, had pleaded not guilty to being a member of an illegal organisation styling itself Oglaigh na hEireann, otherwise the Irish Republican Army, otherwise the IRA, on November 29, 2000.

During his trial the court heard that Special Branch detectives discovered documents in Carroll’s bedroom after his arrest.

The court also heard the opinion of Det Chief Supt Basil Walsh of the Special Detective Unit that he believed Carroll was a member of an illegal organisation.

Carroll denied that he was a member of an illegal organisation and said he was involved in Na Fianna Eireann, a legal republican youth organisation.

But Mr Justice Richard Johnson, presiding at the non-jury court, said the court was satisfied ‘‘beyond reasonable doubt’’ that documents found in Carroll’s bedroom would be used by ‘‘persons engaged in subversive activities’’.

The judge said that one document, headed ‘‘Forensic’’, contained information on home-made explosives and improvised mix.

The judge said the court ‘‘takes a very serious view of this case’’ and of the evidence of Det Supt Peter Maguire that in 1998 this organisation, said in court to be commonly known as the ‘‘Real IRA’’, was responsible for 28 crimes including explosives, firearms and armed robberies to raise funds for that organisation.

It had also set up training camps throughout the country for volunteers, one of which was at Stamullen in Co Meath in 1999.

Referring to a second document headed ‘‘Memo - use of mobile phone’’, the judge said the court was satisfied that this would be used solely by people who wanted to avoid police detection.

The fact that it mentioned specifically Dublin, London and Belfast was matter of significance, the judge added.

Referring to the third document, headed ‘‘Interrogation’’, the judge said the court’s conclusion was that it is ‘‘pertinent to and capable of use’’ by people questioned under the Offences Against the State Act.

Each of these documents ‘‘individually and collectively’’ supported the evidence of Det Chief Supt Basil Walsh that the accused was a member of the IRA, the judge said.

The court took into account that the accused ‘‘came from a decent and hard-working family’’ and was involved in community and sporting activities in his area.

Leave to appeal was refused.

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Irish Times

Thursday December 6, 2001

Judgment today on man accused of being in IRA

The Special Criminal Court will today deliver judgment in the case of a Dublin man charged with membership of the IRA.

Mr Declan Carroll (24), of Edenmore Crescent, Raheny, Dublin, has pleaded not guilty to being a member of an illegal organisation styling itself Oglaigh na hÉireann, otherwise known as the Irish Republican Army, otherwise the IRA on November 29th, 2000.

When he took the witness stand yesterday, the accused said he was a member of Na Fíanna Éireann, a republican youth wing, and was never involved with an illegal organisation.

Cross-examined by Mr P.J. McCarthy SC, Mr Carroll said documents found in his bedroom during a search of his home in November 2000, originated from Na Fíanna and the Internet.

Closing for the prosecution, Mr McCarthy said the documents were circumstantial evidence supportive of the opinion of Det Chief Supt Basil Walsh that Mr Carroll was a member of the IRA.

He said the accused had failed to comply with Section 2 of the Offences Against the State (Amendment) Act 1998 which allowed the court to draw inferences from Mr Carroll's refusal to answer questions relating to illegal organisations.

In his closing speech, Mr Peter Finlay SC, defending, said Section 2 "was not an avenue to exploit" and that the accused had remained silent on legal advice. He conceded that the documents "could be said to be incriminating" but not without a question mark.

Mr Justice Johnson, presiding, said the court would reserve its judgment until today.

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IRISH FREEDOM COMMITTEE NEWSLIST

Subject: POW Christmas Appeal

Date: December 1, 2001

The Irish Freedom Committee is making a sincere appeal to all of its members and supporters to please take the time this Holiday season to send Christmas cards to Irish Republican POWs.

A list of POWs and prison addresses is available at our National website, located at: www.irishfreedomcommittee.net

As of last weekend, all prisoners on E2 Wing at Portlaoise Prison are being denied any incoming or outgoing mail until the end of January 2002. It is more important than ever this year to send these cards, because even thought they will be delivered late, the prison officers will be tied up with the work of reading them and sorting them throughout their own holiday season. It will be a strong message to the prison indeed that supporters here in the US are not deterred by this callous treatment of Republican prisoners; and more importantly, the boost these cards will give the men at the end of January will be enormous.

Following are some brief suggestions:

We recommend that you send the cards in bulk, in a large envelope. We have attached postal rates below from the US for one pound weight, which is approximately what a bag of 40 cards will amount to.

Christmas cards don't have to be fancy or expensive. Most department stores sell boxes of 20 cards for under $5.00. If you select smaller cards you will pay less in postage.

Individual card envelopes inside your package should be left open and have the prisoner's name on the front. The envelope may be taken by the prison, so place a return address on the inside of the card, if you would like to give one; and put the recipient's name somewhere inside the card.

Please also note that there are up to ten Remand POWs at Portlaoise Prison whose names are not listed due to their not yet being sentenced.

Please include a group card to Portlaoise addressed to "Remand Republican POWs, E2 Wing", care of Anthony Beggs.

Mail may not be delivered at Maghaberry, where prison officials have instituted a policy that any incoming mail be addressed to a prisoners' number instead of a name; in a further attempt to criminalise them. Please don't let this deter you from sending a card anyway. Show the prisons that these men have a great deal of support on the outside. If the cards are indeed delivered the families will let us know, and every card or letter is appreciated enormously.

Please send your cards within the upcoming week to arrive before Christmas. Even though some of the cards will be held hostage for the present time, you will help give prison guards extra work for the holidays.

For any further questions please email us at:

Saoirse@irishfreedomcommittee.net

Go raibh maith agat;

The Irish Freedom Committee

www.irishfreedomcommittee.net

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Postal Rates from US to IRELAND: Rate for Pkg. Weight 1 Lb

Global Priority Mail - Flat-rate Envelope (large) 3 - 5 Days $9.00

9-1/2" x 12-1/2"

Global Priority Mail - Variable Weight Envelope (single) 3 - 5 Days

$10.00

Max. length 24", Max. length, height, depth combined 36"

Airmail Parcel Post 4 - 7 Days $14.00

Max.length 60", max. length plus girth 108"

Postal Rates from US to NORTH OF IRELAND: Rate for Pkg. Weight 1 Lb

Global Priority Mail - Flat-rate Envelope (large) 3 - 5 Days $9.00

9-1/2" x 12-1/2"

Airmail Letter-post 4 - 7 Days $8.70

Max. length 24", Max. length, height, depth combined 36"

Airmail Parcel Post 4 - 7 Days $16.00

Max.length 60", max. length plus girth 108"

For further rate information go to USPS Web Site: http://ircalc.usps.gov/weight.asp?Contents=1

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