A 35-year-old south Armagh man has been charged in court with the murders of 29 people in the Omagh bombing of 1998.
Seán Hoey, an electrician, of Molly Road, Jonesborough, faced 61 charges when he appeared before Craigavon Magistrates Court yesterday.
The Omagh bombing was the worst single atrocity in the Troubles, claiming 29 lives including an expectant mother and injuring more than 200.
It is the first time anyone has been charged with murder in connection with the bombing.
Only one other person has been jailed so far in connection with the bombing. Publican Colm Murphy from Co Louth, had his conviction quashed by a Dublin court in January and is facing a retrial.
Dressed in jeans and a casual brown jumper, Mr Hoey said nothing during his short court appearance and nodded only to confirm his name.
Currently on remand for more than a year on 20 charges relating to possession of explosive devices and associated offences including membership of the Real IRA, Mr Hoey was due to have applied for bail yesterday.
It took several minutes for the clerk of the court to read the murder charges connected to the Omagh bombing.
Other offences included conspiracy to murder members of the security forces and explosives charges.
The accused, who entered no plea to the court, was remanded by resident magistrate Alan White to appear before Belfast magistrates next Tuesday by video link from Maghaberry Prison where he has been held on remand.
Mr Hoey's solicitor claimed his client's rights were being violated by the continuing proceedings and claimed there was no new evidence.
Mr Peter Corrigan asked that the Director of Public Prosecutions reconsider the case and requested that any new evidence be identified.
He said the threshold of evidence needed to sustain a conviction had not been reached. An abuse of process application would be made, he said.
He complained that leaking of news to the media that his client was to be charged in relation to the Omagh atrocity was politically motivated.
Present in the packed courtroom in Craigavon were relatives of the Omagh dead who are continuing their civil case against individuals they believe are connected to the bombing.
Speaking outside the court afterwards, Michael Gallagher, whose son Aidan died in the bombing, said it was "sobering" to be in the presence of a suspect accused of the 29 murders.
Asked for his response as the names of the murdered were read out during the putting of charges to the accused, Mr Gallagher said: "In my case, I was dreading to hear Aidan's name."
Asked by The Irish Times if he was confident that a conviction could be secured, Mr Gallagher said: "We have to put our faith in the courts, in the investigating team and in the prosecutors. The defence are obviously very capable of putting forward an argument and that's the proper place for that argument to take place. Whether we like it or whether we don't we will accept the outcome of the courts."
He praised the efforts of other families in their collective push for justice. He also singled out what he called "the honesty of the [Police] Ombudsman's office" and the "thorough and dedicated investigation team" now working on the inquiry who had combined to bring the case to court.
However, he said it was "regrettable" that no-one from the Republic was facing charges in relation to Omagh.