Real IRA "pose no threat" to Bloody Sunday police witnesses

The dissident republican paramilitary group the Real IRA has released a statement claiming the organisation poses no threat to any British army or police witnesses giving evidence to the Bloody Sunday Inquiry.

In the statement, the Real IRA goes on to say that it believes suggestions by security force witnesses who are to give evidence, that they are under threat from republicans, is a smokescreen aimed at hiding the truth.

The inquiry, sitting in the Guildhall in Londonderry, is investigating the events of 30 January 1972 when British soldiers shot dead 13 civilians during a civil rights march in the city. A 14th person died later.

Serving and former police officers have secured the right, through the courts, to give their evidence from behind screens at the Guildhall, because of fears they could be targeted by republicans if identified. Soldiers who were on duty in Derry on Bloody Sunday have also won the right to give their evidence in London.

However, in the statement released on Tuesday April 9, the Real IRA said they had “no intention of interfering in any way with any witness to the Saville Inquiry”.

“This includes soldiers and police witnesses”, the statement added.

The Real IRA also said it hoped its statement would stop what they described as “British government attempts to use non-existent threats to stop the truth emerging about what happened on Bloody Sunday”.

The families of those killed have welcomed the statement and said there could no longer be an argument for security force witnesses to give evidence screened from the public, although they added that they suspected that the statement had come too late to change plans for the soldiers to give their evidence in London

(AMcE)