IRA man denies Omagh claim

A convicted IRA bomb maker who was named in the House of Commons as one of those responsible for the Omagh bombing has described the allegations against him as "fantasy" and "lies".

Patrick "Mooch" Blair, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison in Northern Ireland 1975 for attempted murder of an RUC officer and possession of firearms, acknowledged he was active in the IRA over three decades.

But he said he had never been arrested by police forces either in Northern Ireland or the Republic in connection with the Omagh bombing.

He told the Smithwick Tribunal this afternoon that evidence given to it by self-confessed British secret agent Kevin Fulton was "not true, lies" and the work of "a fantasist". He agreed with counsel for the tribunal Mary Laverty SC that Mr Fulton had implicated him in relation to the Omagh bombing, and in relation to a range of IRA activities.

But he denied he was a commander in the IRA and said he was no more then a "volunteer", while Mr Fulton was less than that, "a gopher" and one "who was unreliable". He said Mr Fulton had made up stories "to sell to newspapers". He said allegations he was involved in a "nutting squad" - an internal disciplinary arm of the IRA - was such a fantasy made up by Mr Fulton to sell stories to newspapers.

Mr Blair - who also served a prison sentence for firearms in the Republic in the 1980s - denied sending death threats from prison to Mr Fulton. He also denied having met Det Sgt Owen Corrigan of Dundalk Garda station, or any garda, in any "friendly" way.

He said Mr Fulton's evidence linking him to the abduction of farmer Tom Oliver - who was subsequently murdered by the IRA - was further fantasy and had been invented.

Mr Blair was asked by Ms Laverty if it was true that the gardaí had found balaclavas and bars when they stopped a car in which he and others had been travelling. Did this suggest, she asked, the group were on the way to some form of operation.

Mr Blair replied there had been one balaclava. "One balaclava in the boot," he said, adding later that there had also been "one bar" in the boot.

Asked how the IRA dealt "with people who broke their rules", Mr Blair replied: "The evidence is there . . . they were executed."

Mr Blair acknowledged he was named in the House of Commons as being one of those responsible for the Omagh bombing but said it was not true. The allegation was made in January 2002 by DUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson.

The tribunal continues this afternoon.