Police felt ‘guilty and responsible’ for evacuating people closer to Omagh bomb

The police commander in Omagh on the day the town was bombed has said many of his officers felt “guilty and responsible” that they had evacuated members of the public towards the explosive device.

Retired superintendent James Baxter also told the Omagh Bombing Inquiry of the trauma caused to victims due to more than 70 hoax bomb warnings in the town in the years following the massacre.

29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins, were killed when the Real IRA bombed the Co Tyrone town in August 1998.

The public inquiry, being held at the Strule Arts Centre, has been hearing statements from police officers who were part of the initial response to the bombing.

The public inquiry was set up by the Government to examine whether the explosion could have been prevented by the UK authorities.

Mr Baxter was the RUC sub-divisional commander in Omagh on the day of the blast.

He told how he was…

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