The Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, has told the Dáil that the "Real IRA" and its political counterpart, the 32 County Sovereignty Committee, are planning a bombing similar in scale to the attack on Omagh, write Conor Lally and Arthur Beesley
"I emphasise that the 'Real IRA' and the 32-County Sovereignty Committee, the political adjunct of the 'Real IRA', are planning, as we speak, to plant another bomb of this type," he warned.
"They have made many efforts to put together bombs of this type and they have been frustrated and thwarted in a number of ways. They have attempted to take many people's lives and they intend to continue trying to do so."
A senior Garda source last night told The Irish Times that the force was on high alert for a "Real IRA" bomb attack similar in scale to the Omagh attack in 1998.
The source said that the danger posed by the "Real IRA" had increased significantly in recent weeks following a regrouping of the paramilitary organisation on both sides of the Border.
He said that while the "Real IRA" was previously split into three factions, two in Co Louth and one in Derry, members of the three cells had regrouped and moved to become much more organised in their activities.
He added that the paramilitaries were now working on a cross-Border basis in a disciplined command structure. They had access to funds, through organised crime, with which to conduct a major terrorist attack.
"The threat is high, there is not a shadow of a doubt about that. There is now more co-operation between the groups North and South and members of the three factions have come together and are working closely in one very cohesive group," the Garda source said.
Mr McDowell's warning of the renewed threat came at the end of Dáil statements on a confidential inquiry carried out for the Government on the operations of the Garda around the time of the Omagh attack. The report of the committee, led by a retired civil servant, Mr Dermot Nally, found allegations that the Garda failed to pass on information to the RUC which could have prevented the Omagh attack to be without foundation.
The committee found that the charges levelled by a garda, Det Sgt John White, did not stand up to scrutiny. Det Sgt White's alleged informant, Mr Pat Dixon, who claims to have infiltrated the "Real IRA", was not interviewed by the committee.
Mr McDowell said that parts of the Nally report could not be published because of the renewed threat from the "Real IRA".
However, he told the Dáil that he will consider publishing an edited version of the report once certain criminal matters are disposed of.
"My first duty must be to prevent another incident such as that in Omagh in 1998. Therefore, I cannot place in the public domain something which assists the organisations in question in changing their modus operandi, so that they can get away with it the next time."
He said that he would undertake to again meet relatives of victims of the Omagh bombing. He said he understood their desire to see the detail in the report. The full report could not be published on grounds of national security, he said.
Security sources say that a foiled booby-trap attack in Co Derry in early February indicated that the "Real IRA" retained the capacity to mount significant operations.