http://www.guardian.co.uk/Northern_Ireland/Story/0,2763,614842,00.html

Relatives furious at new revelations
Police accused by families
Friday December 7, 2001
The Guardian
Relatives of the victims were incredulous yesterday at the police ombudsman's finding that police received one or more warnings of the Omagh bombing.
Stanley McCombe, who lost his wife Ann in the bomb "I'm a very angry person today. It's ridiculous that these people had to suffer in the Omagh atrocity because of a misdemeanour in the police department. It's unbelievable that if they had information they couldn't act on it, if what
I'm hearing is true." Michael Gallagher, whose son Adrian, 21, was among the dead "I really don't know what to say... 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."
Victor Barker, whose son James, 12, was among the 29 killed at Omagh "I don't blame the security forces for my son's murder, but I'm disgusted that they didn't act. They didn't plant the bomb, but this is going to get used by the Real IRA to claim police knew about it and were therefore responsible. That's not what any right thinking human being can accept."
Father Kevin Mullan, a priest who comforted the victims' families "The people in Omagh are going to feel that the lives of their relatives were of perhaps less value than other so-called principles or policies, and that is very, very hurtful. In the face of Christmas when they are thinking of those who should be there now, the possibility arises that they could have been there - this is what's being said today. If only something had been done we mightn't have been visiting a grave or sitting at the Christmas table with somebody missing." Northern Ireland secretary John Reid said he would not be commenting until the report was published, but said in a statement that while there would be lessons to learn, "Nothing should ever distract our attention from the
suffering caused to the victims and their families by the evil people who planted the bomb."
Pat Doherty, the Sinn Fein MP for Omagh "Special Branch must now be disbanded and those who failed to act on this information from the chief constable down should now be removed." The Police Federation of Northern Ireland, which represents rank and file police "[Nuala O'Loan's] report is not based on anything which could properly be called evidence. The allegations which she makes were not put
to the officers concerned, in flagrant breach of their human rights. Her handling of this case, and a number of other cases, is rapidly driving the members we represent to a position of erosion of confidence in the office of the ombudsman and her ability to carry out her investigation in a
proportionate and professional manner."