Daly remanded in custody after appearing in court charged with Omagh bombing

Seamus Daly

A man who resides just outside Dundalk has been remanded in custody after appearing in Dungannon Magistrates’ Court charged with the murder of 29 people in the Omagh bombing in 1998.

Séamus Daly, 43, from Culloville in Co Monaghan, did not speak during the hearing.

A PSNI detective inspector said he could connect Mr Daly with the charges on the basis of witness and forensic evidence.

Mr Daly has been charged with 29 counts of murder, two charges linked to the explosion in Omagh and two other counts linked to an attempted explosion in Lisburn in April 1998.

A small number of relatives of the Omagh bombing victims sat in the public gallery for the short hearing.

The bombing by the Real IRA was the single biggest atrocity of the Troubles.

Mr Daly was one of four men found liable of the atrocity in a civil case in 2009 brought by the victims’ families.

Bail was refused for Mr Daly and he will appear in court again next month.

Just one to face murder charge for Donohoe murder

The late Adrian Donohoe RIP

Just one person is likely to be charged with the murder of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe despite the fact there were several involved in the robbery of Lordship Credit Union last year.

According to a report from experienced crime correspondent Paul Williams in yesterday’s Sunday Independent, a South Armagh man with close links to the GAA is the only member of the crime gang likely to face trial for the killing of the popular father of two on January 25^th last.

The four other gang members will face lesser charges, including possession of firearms and attempted robbery.

Detective Garda Donohoe was shot at close range without warning by one of the gang members as he got out of his unmarked patrol car in the car park of the credit union almost a year ago.

Investigators have said that footage of the incident shows that the gunman, who has been identified, clearly intended killing the 41-year-old St Patrick’s GFC clubman.

According to The Sunday Independent, the investigation into the killing was “quietly making steady progress” in building a case against the South Armagh gang.

Detectives have seized CCTV footage from over 200 locations in order to gather vital information about the gang’s movements before and after the robbery, which contradicts their version of events.

A source told The Sunday Independent that they were confident the culprits would be brought to justice.

Two of the five suspects are brothers and all gang members have close links to the GAA and Republicanism. The prime suspect for the murder is said to have played for his club in the past.

All of the suspects are in their 20s and were well known to Gardaí prior to the murder of Garda Donohoe. They are said to be part of a wide circle of 20 young Republican thugs responsible or a crime spree along the Border in recent years.

Security sources believe that members of the robbery gang who had not been involved in the shooting were afraid to come forward because they might also face murder charges.

“One member of the gang deliberately shot Adrian Donohoe dead and it is possible that the others had no intention of killing anyone but they need to come forward before they also face murder charges,” said the source.

Gardaí have been working closely with the FBI in recent months to monitor two of the suspects who travelled for work to New York and Boston last summer. This pair were interviewed in America recently as they were obligated to do so under US law. However, they refused to answer any questions.

Source: Just one gang member is likely to be charged with murder of Adrian Donohoe (Sunday Independent)

Detectives fly to America in search of Garda Donohoe’s murder

The late Adrian Donohoe RIP

Two detectives have flown to America to hunt down the chief suspect in Garda Adrian Donohoe’s murder, according to reports in today’s Irish Mirror.

The officers have been tracking the thug – believed to have been the trigger man in the ruthless January 25th shooting – over the last few weeks in New York.

The man in his 20s, from South Armagh, who fled Ireland in April, is being watched around the clock for fear he will go on the run.

Gardai are aware the suspect’s three-month visa is due to expire soon and are worried he will go into hiding.

A security source last night admitted gardai are no closer to arresting those responsible for the brutal killing but want to be ready to pounce when the vital evidence they are waiting for comes through.

The source told The Mirror: “Two detectives from the investigation team were sent over to New York a few weeks ago to keep a close eye on the suspected trigger man in Garda Donohoe’s murder.

“They are watching him 24/7 and are not letting him out of their sight.

“Gardai are just waiting on that one piece of the puzzle to nail these guys and they want to be ready to pounce once it does.

“Gardai investigating this brutal murder are adamant that those responsible will be brought to justice.

“He has a three-month visa for America but that is due to finish up soon. He will more than likely return to Ireland when it does but God only knows what he will decide to do.

“He is a loner in America at the moment after being shunned by all his close friends.

“And if he thinks things are bad for him now in America, he won’t know what hit him when he gets back to his home town.

“Everyone hates him for what he has done. He is not welcome back and will be run out of town if he does return.”

Source: Irish Mirror

Donohoe suspect flees to the US

The front page of today’s Irish Sun

One of the chief suspects in the murder of Garda Adrian Donohoe has fled to America, according to reports in today’s national newspapers.

Both The Irish Sun and the Irish Daily Mirror carry front page articles claiming that the South Armagh man fled Ireland two weeks ago and is staying in the US illegally.

It is understood that the man in question has had a bench warrant issued for his arrest for other offences but cannot be extradited back here unless he is charged with the murder of detective Donohoe on Friday January 25^th.

The Sun also claims that two further suspects fled to Australia earlier this month, with a five man gang believed to have been involved in the shooting, which took place at Lordship Credit Union.

Source: Adrian’s killer will be brought to justice (The Sun)

The front page of today’s Irish Daily Mirror