Thirty-three civilians and two Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officers were injured in the attack in a busy shopping street that was later claimed by the Real Irish Republican Army (RIRA), a dissident Irish republican group.

[1] The bomb containing 500 lb (230 kg) of explosives was inside a red Vauxhall Cavalier parked on Newry Street.

[4][5] After the bombing, local residents, paramedics, and emergency services worked tirelessly to help the injured and clear the debris.

[6] At the time it was the most damaging bomb attack since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in April.

The town was targeted previously that year by the Continuity IRA in an attempted car bomb on 6 January 1998, which was safely defused after a warning.