Omagh bomb suspect Liam Campbell extradited to Lithuania

Nadeem Badshah
·2 min read

Man held liable for the Omagh bombing, is due to face charges related to weapons smuggling for the Real IRA


The man found civilly liable for the 1998 Omagh bombing in which 29 people were killed has been extradited to Lithuania after a lengthy legal process.

The Irish supreme court ruled last week that Liam Campbell could be extradited to the Baltic country in relation to offences of smuggling, the possession of firearms and terrorism.

It is understood that the 59-year-old was arrested by Irish police on Monday before being handed over to Lithuanian authorities at Dublin airport on Tuesday.

A Garda spokesperson said: “Liam Campbell was surrendered to the Lithuanian authorities by personnel assigned to the extradition section at the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation this morning and has subsequently departed from Dublin airport.”

A five-judge supreme court bench last week dismissed Campbell’s appeal against his extradition, ending his legal battle to avoid extradition to Lithuania that lasted more than 12 years.

It was the third time Lithuanian authorities had attempted to obtain his surrender.

He was arrested in December 2016 in Upper Faughart, Dundalk, County Louth on a second European arrest warrant (EAW) issued by Lithuanian authorities.

The arrest warrant alleged that he organised the preparation for the smuggling of weapons in support of the “terrorist grouping” the Real IRA (RIRA) between the end of 2006 and the beginning of 2007.

The Lithuanian warrant also contained allegations of preparations to smuggle items including firearms and explosive substances, and attempting to acquire weapons, ammunition, explosives and items including detonators and timers.

The Omagh bombing was the single biggest atrocity of the Troubles. Among the victims were a woman pregnant with twins as well as children from Northern Ireland, England and Spain.

In 2016, Campbell and Michael McKevitt were unsuccessful in their appeal to overturn the landmark civil ruling that found them responsible along with two other men for the Omagh bombing.

The European court of human rights in Strasbourg declared that the 2009 ruling by a Belfast court – which awarded £1.6m in damages to relatives of the 29 people who died – should not be challenged. Both men were ordered to pay compensation.

McKevitt died aged 71 last year having been diagnosed with cancer.

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