Judge dismisses Real IRA charges

The Real IRA, the paramilitary terrorist group that carried out the bombing of Omagh that killed 29 people, is not a terrorist organisation, according to a judge's ruling yesterday.

In his ruling yesterday, Mr Justice Girvan sitting at Belfast Crown Court cleared four men of membership of the dissident Republican organisation, ruling that the pertinent legislation did not specifically proscribe the Real Irish Republican Army.

The four suspects, Sean Dillon (27) and Kevin Murphy (33) both from Coalisland, Donald Mullan (33) from Dungannon, and Brendan O'Connor (26) from Pomeroy, still face charges relating to conspiracy to murder and possession of a rocket launcher in February 2003.

Relatives of the victims of the Omagh bombing have expressed their disbelief at the ruling. Michael Gallagher, who lost his son in the attack, said he was "left without words" by the ruling.

The government, however, has expressed its concern at the ruling that the Real IRA is not a proscribed organisation under Section 3 of the Terrorism Act 2000.

A Northern Ireland Office spokesman said: "The government is very concerned at this ruling and the DPP is forwarding a report to the Attorney General with a view to an appeal. The government is clear that RIRA should be a proscribed organisation."

A splinter dissident paramilitary group, the Real IRA, broke away from the Provisional IRA, in 1997 over disagreement with the decision by Sinn Fein to attempt to pursue a political resolution through the Good Friday Agreement and a continued Republican paramilitary ceasefire.

(SP)