Northern Ireland

Preliminary hearing into Omagh bombing to be held at end of July

The public inquiry will investigate bombing that killed 29 and injured more than 200

Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris ordered the statutory inquiry into the Omagh bombing
The aftermath of the Omagh bombing (Paul Mcerlane/PA)

A preliminary hearing of the public inquiry into the Omagh bombing will be held at the end of July.

Twenty-nine people, including a woman pregnant with twins, were killed and more than 200 injured when the bomb exploded on Market Street in the Co Tyrone town in August 1998.

The statutory public inquiry, chaired by Lord Alan Turnball, will open with the preliminary hearing in the Strule Arts Centre in Omagh on Tuesday July 30.

Omagh bombing 25th anniversary
People attend a service to mark the 25th anniversary of the bombing that devastated Omagh in 1998, at the Memorial Gardens in the town (Brian Lawless/PA)

It will be the first hearing to be held by the Inquiry. A preliminary hearing is one of the first steps in a public inquiry and will consider procedural issues relating to the conduct of the investigation and hearings, the inquiry team said.



The hearing will be live streamed and will be chaired by Lord Turnbull while counsel to the inquiry is Paul Greaney KC.