NI secretary needs more time over Omagh bomb inquiry call

The Northern Ireland secretary has asked for more time to consider if there should be an investigation or public inquiry into whether the Omagh bomb was preventable.

Last year, the High Court ruled it was plausible there was a real prospect the bombing could have been stopped.

The bomb exploded in the County Tyrone town on 15 August 1998.

It was the biggest single atrocity in the NI Troubles, killing 29 people including a woman pregnant with twins.

On Tuesday, Mr Chris Heaton-Harris met some of the families of those killed.

Michael Gallagher, whose son Aiden died in the bombing, described the meeting as productive and said he accepted Mr Heaton-Harris needed more time to assess the case.

"We told him that it was hugely important we get the right decision," he said.

"We certainly don't want a reinvestigation because we have had many of those. We need a public inquiry, we need an opportunity for people to come forward and tell their story of what happened."

A Northern Ireland Office spokesperson said: "The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Chris Heaton-Harris was very grateful for the opportunity to meet and hear from the Omagh Support and Self Help Group this afternoon."

The group was founded in the aftermath of the bombing to act as support for those affected.

Relatives of Omagh bomb families who attended the meeting seemed content with Mr Heaton-Harris's request for more time.

He indicated he may need four months - but they hope he will not take as long to reach a decision.

But with a court having given a ruling related to this a year ago, it is hard to understand why the further delay.

One of the interesting things about this case is that it sits outside the government's current legacy proposals.

Legislation in parliament deals with Troubles' cases before the Belfast Agreement in April 1998 - Omagh happened four months later.

Last year, Belfast High Court ruled there should be an investigation and this was the first meeting the government has had with the Omagh families since then.

Mr Justice Mark Horner ruled called for a new investigations on both sides of the Irish border.