Allister comments on Omagh review announcement
18 September 2008
“I trust the review, announced by the PM, into how the Omagh intelligence was handled will be an honest and thorough examination, and not a vehicle to cause delay in facing up to these issues, nor a device to obfuscate the truth.
I repeat some questions which this review and ultimately the Prime Minister in the House of Commons must answer:
1. Was there live monitoring of the terrorists’ mobiles and, if not, why not in view of the request for same from the RUC Special Branch and the experience of the Banbridge bombing?
2. Why was there a delay of days before any information was delivered to Special Branch?
3. Was there monitoring of the phones of known suspects after the bombing and if not, which seems very unlikely, why not?
4. Why was no information gleaned in subsequent monitoring (assuming such occurred) ever shared with the RUC? Why was this vital intelligence withheld?
5. At what level, including political level, were any of the decisions to withhold information taken, it being unbelievable that after the atrocity political direction would not have been sought?
6. Were the security services protecting an informer, or informers?
7. Quite apart from GCHQ’s role, did the UK Security Services have advance knowledge of a planned attack in Omagh, was that shared at a political level and what political direction was given?
This last question is particularly important in dispelling the suspicion which some might have that the Omagh bombing was permitted in order to jog the political and peace processes along.”
