Omagh: Independent police inquiry

The Real IRA admitted carrying out the attack which killed 29 people

BELFAST, Northern Ireland (CNN) -- With only one conviction in Northern Ireland's worst terrorist attack in history, the Northern Ireland Policing Board has ordered an independent inquiry into the 1998 blast that killed 29 people.

The head of police in Northern Ireland, Sir Ronnie Flanagan, had previously rejected a call for an independent probe.

A car bomb ripped through the main shopping district in the market town of Omagh on August 15, 1998, killing 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins. More than 300 others were wounded.

A dissident republican paramilitary group, the Real IRA, claimed responsibility for the blast. Only one conviction, on conspiracy charges, has resulted from a large-scale police probe.

Many residents in the town had demanded a public inquiry into how that police investigation was handled and why more people have not been brought to justice.

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In Thursday's ruling, the board ordered a senior officer from Britain to be called in to oversee the new, independent investigation.

The unanimous move followed intense negotiations involving Sir Ronnie Flanagan and police ombudsman Nuala O'Loan who had clashed bitterly over the handling of the investigation.

Sir Ronnie had insisted the current senior investigating officer, Brian McArthur, should remain in charge, with a top Merseyside detective, Philip Jones appointed in an advisory role.

But after marathon talks in Belfast involving Dan Crompton from Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, the board agreed to bring in another top-ranking outside officer.

Northern Ireland police chiefs greeted the decision by saying they had not been slapped down.

Colm Murphy is the only person convicted over the bombing

Sources close to the chief constable told the Press Association that the move was not a rejection of Flanagan's proposals as the new investigating officer would have the same powers as Jones.

Denis Bradley, deputy chairman of the 19-strong body which includes unionists and nationalists, insisted all sides had worked closely to reach its decision.

He said: "This report is the unanimous view of all members of the Policing Board."

It is understood that Crompton, the former chief constable of Nottinghamshire, central England, chief constable, will be tasked with finding a suitable candidate for the senior officer called in to investigate.

Last month, convicted Real IRA dissident Colm Murphy, a 49-year-old former building contractor and father of four, was sentenced to 14 years in prison for his role in the bombing.

During his sentencing, presiding Justice Robert Barr said, "Those who planted the bomb and Murphy as a back-up, or service provider, must have realised that the operation to plant the bomb was fraught with danger and risked death and injury to many."