Two arrested over Omagh bombing

Police can hold the pair for up to 72 hours without charge

BELFAST, Northern Ireland (CNN) -- Two men have been arrested in connection with the deadly 1998 bombing in Omagh, Northern Ireland, police in the Republic of Ireland say.

Twenty-nine people died in the Omagh bombing, and hundreds were wounded. The Real IRA, a dissident republican paramilitary group, claimed responsibility for the blast.

Police sources said on Wednesday the two men were detained during police raids in Counties Louth and Monaghan, both on the republic's border with Northern Ireland.

Both men are suspected dissident republican terrorists, police said, and can be held for up to 72 hours without charge.

Last month, the Northern Ireland Policing Board ordered an independent inquiry into the bombing.

The order followed the conviction in January of Colm Murphy, 50, of Dundalk, Ireland, on charges of conspiracy to cause an explosion. Murphy is the only person convicted in relation to the bombing.

RESOURCES In-depth: Conflict and hope  in Northern Ireland

The Omagh bombing -- a Saturday afternoon blast in the busy market town of County Tyrone, Northern Ireland -- was the single worst incident in a 30-year conflict between Roman Catholics and Protestants that has left 3,600 dead.

The dissident Real IRA opposes the Good Friday peace plan and Irish Republican Army steps to cooperate with the plan's dictates.