Relatives of IRA’s Teebane atrocity seek answers from legacy body
Eight men were killed in the roadside bomb attack in 1992 in Co Tyrone.
Families of two of those killed in the IRA’s Teebane atrocity are seeking answers from a new state legacy body.
Eight men were killed on January 17, 1992 and others were seriously injured when a roadside bomb exploded as a van passed the Teebane crossroads in Co Tyrone.
The men were construction workers who had been carrying out repair work at a British Army base in Omagh.
This Sunday a roadside service will mark the 33rd anniversary of the bombing.
Diane Kerrigan, the daughter of Cecil Caldwell, one of the eight men killed, said they want answers and closure over the attack, carried out by the Provisional IRA.
Victims group the Ulster Human Rights Watch (UHRW) said it has asked the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) to carry out a review of the PIRA case.
The ICRIR was set up in the UK’s Legacy Act and is headed by Northern Ireland’s former lord chief justice, Sir Declan Morgan.
While many victims groups were strongly opposed to the Legacy Act, in December the ICRIR said 120 people have come forward and started an investigation with the commission, in the hope of finding the answers they seek.
They said of those, 24 have moved into the information recovery stage of the process and the commission has accepted a request for an investigation from the Secretary of State.
In a statement, Ms Kerrigan said Teebane will be a challenging piece of work for the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery.
“All I want is some answers. Who carried this out and why? My family was devastated, left with decades of pain and torment,” she said.
“This was a calculated and callous and, yes, sectarian attack on workers who wanted no more than to do all they could for their families.
“We have to hope that the ICRIR will bring us some closure. If that closure results in the naming of the terrorists and opens the door to criminal proceedings, then our persistence will have been rewarded.”
UHRW advocacy manager Axel Schmidt said the Teebane attack merited a review and hoped it would provide relatives with some answers.
“UHRW is representing two of the families who lost loved ones in this appalling attack,” he said.
“A number of factors are under the microscope.
“First, in a review by the Historical Enquiries Team (HET), a number of suspects were identified but they were never arrested or interviewed. This fact, on its own, is a source of major concern for the families.
“Second, technological advances in forensics have created new opportunities to re-test over twenty exhibits.
“These tests could help in the identification of the PIRA terrorists, opening the way to possibly initiating criminal proceedings.
“There were failings and shortcomings but ultimately this heavy loss of innocent lives was down to the murderous actions of the PIRA.
“Even if prosecutions are not possible, the ICRIR has the power to name those involved in the bombing.”
