Officers are exploring whether individuals they believe had some part in the 1998 Real IRA outrage will turn Crown evidence, Assistant Chief Constable Drew Harris told a committee of MPs in Westminster.

"New legislation has come into play since the original offence around what is known as Socap (Serious Organised Crime and Police Act of 2005) where people can be brought in and admit their part in a crime and in turn provide evidence," he said.

"So we want to explore all of those possibilities before we come to our final determination around the criminal investigation (of Omagh)."
Mr Harris said eight people were fingered by detectives as being suspects in the days after the attack and that was still the police's opinion 11 years on.

The PSNI's current head of crime operations informed the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee the eight included the four men found liable for the bombing in a landmark civil case taken by victims' families last month.

The only man to stand criminal trial for the murders - south Armagh electrician Sean Hoey, 38 - was acquitted in Belfast Crown court two years ago.

Police decided to review all of the evidence in relation to the Omagh attack after two crime scene officers accused of lying in the Hoey trial were cleared by the Police Ombudsman.

Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde, who also briefed the committee yesterday, said the PSNI had already secured a murder conviction as a result of the provisions in Socap that gave weight to evidence provided by another suspect.

He said loyalist killer Steven Brown, also known as Steven Revels, who murdered teenage friends Andrew Robb, 19 and David McIlwaine, 18, in Tandragee nine years ago, would not have been found guilty if were not for evidence provided by Mark Burcombe - a suspect who turned Queen's evidence.

"We have been very successful already in using that new legislation to our advantage in one of the most appalling cases in the criminal history of Northern Ireland and secured convictions, substantial convictions on killers who previously would have got off, so I think there are some avenues there."

On the likelihood of a prosecution in the Omagh case, he added: "We should never say it will never end in a prosecution but I do think we need to be utterly honest with the families, as I have been after the Hoey trial and said it's highly unlikely, but you never know."

In Belfast High Court last month four men - Real IRA leader Michael McKevitt and three other republicans - Liam Campbell, Colm Murphy and Seamus Daly - were found responsible for the atrocity in a civil action.