BRITISH PRIME minister Gordon Brown has ordered a review of intercepted intelligence material connected to the Omagh bomb inquiry.
Relatives of victims of the bomb last night called for the inquiry to be accelerated so the information could be used in court proceedings against five men accused of involvement in the atrocity.
Mr Brown announced the inquiry yesterday following allegations by the BBC’s Panorama programme that the government communications headquarters GCHQ was recording Real IRA telephone calls as the bombers drove their device into the town where 29 people were killed in August 1998, in the worst single atrocity of the Troubles.
The cabinet office said Mr Brown has asked Sir Peter Gibson, intelligence services commissioner, “to review the intercepted intelligence material available to the security and intelligence agencies in relation to the Omagh bombing and how it was shared”.
A spokesman said the review should be completed within three months and Mr Brown would probably report its findings to the House of Commons.
However, families bereaved by the bombing – who have already threatened legal action against GCHQ to try to force disclosure of the intercepted material – urged Sir Peter to accelerate his inquiry and make the material and any new evidence available as soon as possible.
Northern Ireland Secretary Shaun Woodward welcomed the announcement, saying that, given the information put in the public domain by Panorama, the prime minister was “absolutely right” to order the review.
Michael Gallagher, whose son Aidan died in the blast, said: “If enough resources were applied to this enterprise, we don’t see why this could not be done in a matter of weeks rather than months.”
Mr Gallagher added: “We welcome the swiftness with which the government has moved on this. However, we believe that the families should have an input and should be consulted.
“It is indicated that this will take up to three months. We feel that the civil action now taking place, which will be over by that time, is the best possible way of using any intelligence or evidence gleaned from that.”
Relatives want to use any transcripts or recollections from individuals relating to mobile phone calls between the bombers on their way to Omagh in their ongoing civil legal case in Belfast against five men they blame for the bombing.