Part of the Omagh bomb inquiry is to be investigated by Northern Ireland police ombudsman Ms Nuala O'Loan, it emerged this evening.
Her office is to investigate the circumstances surrounding an anonymous telephone call which warned of an attack to take place in the Tyrone town on the day of the atrocity.
The Ombudsman will be seeking details after it emerged that a former Special Branch officer is to be interviewed by detectives attempting to establish the source of the call. It was made to police on August 4th, l998, 11 days before the bombing, but the information was never passed on to officers on the ground.
Relatives of some of the 29 people killed, which included a mother pregnant with twins, had urged the Ombudsman to carry out her own investigation into the phone call.
Four years ago she issued a damming report of the investigation by the Royal Ulster Constabulary and claimed the leadership and judgment of the then Chief Constable Sir Ronnie Flanagan was seriously flawed, an allegation he rejected amid a monumental row.
Her spokesman confirmed tonight that her officers, headed up by executive director Dave Wood were back on the case.
He said: "The Police Ombudsman office has received a complaint about the circumstances surrounding the call. The PSNI (Police Service of Northern Ireland) team investigating the bomb has also raised this issue with us. "The Police Ombudsman's office is now investigating all the circumstances relating to this matter."
PA