Omagh bombing: Public inquiry ruled out The Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers has rejected a request for a full public enquiry into the Real IRA car bombing that killed 29 people in Omagh, County Tyrone. In a letter sent to bereaved relatives of the Omagh victims Ms Villiers said "it was not an easy decision and that all views had been carefully considered." "I believe that the ongoing investigation by the Office of the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland is the best way to address any outstanding issues relating to the police investigation into the Omagh attack," she wrote. She added: "I sincerely hope that the ongoing police investigation will bring to justice those responsible for this brutal crime." The 1998 attack, which also injured approximately 220 people, was considered the worst single atrocity during the Northern Ireland conflict, occurring just months after the historic Good Friday Agreement was signed. No one has been publically convicted of the crime that wrought havoc on the County Tyrone town, although in 2009 a landmark civil case was taken up by relatives of some of the Omagh victims. Four men were found liable for the atrocity and ordered to pay £1.6m in compensation. Several of the families of those killed maintain that the truth of the events surrounding the bombing remains unknown. In June 2012 campaigners presented a set of questions regarding the event to the British and Irish governments, and in August 2013, a few days before the 15th Anniversary of the blast, the families called for a full public inquiry. The statement from Theresa Villiers has already been met with outrage from members of the victims" families that were demanding the probe. Michael Gallagher, whose son Aidan was murdered in the attack, said: "We can't understand why the government aren't giving us a full public inquiry. The reasons that they've indicated we feel are very weak and we will be going straight for a judicial review of that decision. We'll be meeting our lawyers tomorrow and we'll plot a way forward, but we'll be moving very quickly for a judicial review of this decision. The information we have is voluminous, it clearly indicates that there were opportunities to prevent this bombing and we will put our evidence before the courts and let the judge decide.