'Grinning' man left bomb in Omagh

One of the Omagh bombers grinned as the car carrying the device was parked at the scene, the High Court has heard.

A woman who caught his eye also claimed he looked calm and relaxed and said the two men who got out of the car looked like soldiers.

The court hearing evidence in a civil action was also told 180 fragments from the car were recovered from victims.

Five men are being sued by relatives of some of the families of the 29 people killed in the 1998 atrocity.

Ruth Buchannon told the High Court she was parked on Market Street when the bomb vehicle pulled up in front of her, half a car length away.

She said the two men in the Cavalier got out quickly, making her think they were in a hurry.

"As the men stood on the footpath the passenger caught eye contact with myself and grinned at me"
Ruth Buchannon
Witness

They were both neat, with the one on the passenger side the more handsome.

Her statement, read by Brett Lockhart QC, for the families, said: "They were approximately six to eight feet away from me as they stood in front of my car.

"As the men stood on the footpath the passenger caught eye contact with myself and grinned at me. He looked calm and relaxed."

The driver, however, appeared to have a serious expression, the court heard.

Ms Buchannon said she left Omagh before the bomb exploded.

Earlier, Northern Ireland's top forensic scientist Denis McAuley told the hearing the piece furthest from the scene of the Real IRA attack was found 300 metres away.

Giving evidence on the third day of the trial in Belfast, Mr McAuley identified up to 28 bomb and mortar plots in Northern Ireland, England and the Irish Republic between 1998 and 2004 with components from the same manufacturers' batch.

Questioned by Lord Brennan QC, for the victims' families Mr McAuley confirmed 13 skip loads of debris was sifted through in the aftermath of the bombing.

Fragments located on the bodies and clothing of the dead and injured, some up to eight inches long, included twisted and ragged metal, plastic, wood and wire.

A piece of booster tube was discovered up to 180 metres from the vehicle, while a part of bodywork attached to the seat belt was located at a mill about 300 metres away.