Suspected republican hardliners killed a police officer with a car bomb in Omagh on Saturday afternoon.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, but police and politicians blamed Irish Republican Army dissidents who are believed to have been planting bombs underneath off-duty Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officers’ private cars.
Until Saturday such booby-trap attacks had badly maimed two PSNI officers but had not killed anyone.
PSNI Chief Constable Matt Baggott paid tribute to his colleague, who has been named as Ronan Kerr.
“We have lost one of our brave and courageous police recruits, someone who joined this fine service simply to do good, joined to serve the community impartially and to be someone I describe as a modern-day hero,” he said.
Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams TD condemned those responsible for Saturday’s bomb attack and sent his condolences to Mr Kerr’s family.
Mr Adams said that Sinn Fein was “determined that those responsible will not set back the progress of the peace and political process.”
Morning Star Online
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