The chairman of the Independent Public Inquiry of the Omagh bombing, Alan Turnbull, announced on Tuesday the opening of the inquiry’s first hearing. This hearing constitutes the first step that will allow the investigation team to consider any procedural issues related to the conduction of future public hearings and the whole investigation into the Omagh bombing.

Chairman Alan Turnbull stated in the preliminary hearing that the purpose of the inquiry is to determine “whether there were reasonable steps which could’ve been taken by UK state authorities to prevent the bombing from occurring.” Thus, the scope of the inquiry will focus on assessing the adequacy of the security and intelligence policies taken by UK authorities at the time.

Lord Alan Turnbull stressed that he will, alongside his team, undertake his task “rigorously” and “fearlessly” without deflecting from the purpose of the inquiry neither by the difficulty nor the complexity of the materials or evidence. The investigation will adopt a “trauma-informed approach” when dealing with the families of the victims. For this reason and given the trauma caused by the event, an experienced and professional staff will assist the investigation team when hearing testimonies from survivors and families of the victims.

The Chairman explained that the first hearing would include hearing evidence directly from the families of those who lost their lives and also from the injured. It will also examine all the official documents received from the concerned authorities. Lord Turnbull emphasized the public character of the inquiry. Still, given that some evidence or materials to be examined relate to national security, the inquiry team could hold some hearings in closed sessions. Nevertheless, Lord Turnbull reassured that any document or evidence examined under such conditions would be subject to the same scrutiny as that in public sessions. He will also publish a summary of the issues discussed during the closed sessions to keep the public and the participants informed.

Council Paul Greaney asserted that the government of Ireland supports cross-border cooperation and is ready to assist the inquiry “to the greatest extent possible” by providing all the required documents and evidence to investigate the attack’s preventability. Ireland’s government had previously expressed its commitment to provide the required assistance to the UK after the latter decided to open an inquiry following a High Court ruling establishing that there was a real prospect of preventing the Omagh bombing.

The Director General of Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed his country’s commitment to fully assist the inquiry team throughout its mission and said that engaging in this inquiry is “an opportunity for Ireland to demonstrate its commitment to meeting the needs of victims and survivors.”

The Omagh bombing is a bombed-car attack carried out by the Real Irish Republican Army ( Real IRA) that took place in the town of Omagh in Northern Ireland, a few months after the Good Friday agreement to which the perpetrators were opposed. On August 15, 1998, a car loaded with explosives detonated in a crowded shopping area in Market Street, Omagh, killing 31 people. This attack was labeled a terrorist attack and marked the end of what is known as the Northern Ireland Troubles.