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66-year-old being interviewed by detectives at a police station in Belfast
Fourteen people died when British soldiers shot 26 unarmed civilians
First arrest since police launched murder investigation into events in 2012
A former British soldier has been arrested by detectives investigating the Bloody Sunday shootings in Londonderry in 1972.
The 66-year-old man was detained in County Antrim by detectives from Northern Ireland's Legacy Investigation Branch.
He is currently being interviewed by detectives at a police station in Belfast.
No further details have been released as yet confirming the man's identity.
It is the first arrest made by officers since their murder investigation into the events of Bloody Sunday was launched in 2012.
The probe was initiated after a Government-commissioned inquiry undertaken by Lord Saville found that none of the victims were posing a threat to soldiers when they were shot.
Following the publication of the Saville report in 2010, Prime Minister David Cameron apologised for the Army's actions, branding them 'unjustified and unjustifiable'.
In September, the Police Service Northern Ireland (PSNI) announced their intention to interview seven former soldiers about their involvement on the day.
Detective Chief Inspector Ian Harrison is leading the investigation.
He said the arrest 'marked a new phase in the overall investigation which would continue for some time'.
The 1972 slaughter saw 14 Catholic civil rights protesters shot dead during a march through Londonderry.
Ten thousand marchers saw their planned route to Guildhall Square in the heart of the city sealed off by British troops. However, a handful - mostly teenagers - tried to persist with the original walk, clashing with police officers at whom they threw stones.
Police responded by firing water canons and rubber bullets.
However, the 1st Parachute Regiment, who were also on patrol, were quickly called into action.
Some of the paratroopers then almost immediately opened fire, killing thirteen men and injuring 13 others, one of whom died some months later.
The 14 people who died were all men, aged between 17 and 41-years-old. A 59-year-old eventually succumbed to his injuries months later.
Twelve others were injured, with more than 100 rounds fired into the crowd during the altercation.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland's Legacy Investigation Branch contains 70 officers probing historical murder cases, including Bloody Sunday.
At the time of its formation in December last year, Chief Constable George Hamilton said: 'In the continued absence of an agreed political and societal response to Northern Ireland's past, the Police Service plans to fulfil its statutory obligations through a new Legacy Investigation Branch.
'The formation of this Branch will ensure that we fulfil these legal obligations in terms of reviewing and investigating the past. It is our intention that it will be integrated into Crime Operations Department and will be accountable to me, under the direction of the Assistant Chief Constable for Crime Operations, Will Kerr.'
The PSNI has already contacted more than 100 soldiers as part of their investigation into the atrocity.
No soldiers are obliged to speak to the police because they are being treated as witnesses and not suspects.
Speaking in June, Detective Chief Inspector Harrison said: 'The next stage of the investigation would be to interview those soldiers who are willing to engage with the enquiry team as witnesses.
'I am content with the level of resources I have working on the investigation at this stage.
'If at any time further resources are required they will be made available to me.'
Former MP Peter Hain, who was Secretary of State for Northern Ireland between 2005 and 2007, previously stated that he believes the British troops involved in the killings should be given an amnesty from prosecution as terrorists have been.
Mr Hain spoke out in March last year after it emerged that nearly 200 suspected IRA terrorists had received 'comfort letters' assuring them they were no longer being sought by police.
An Old Bailey judge ruled that John Downey would not be prosecuted for the 1982 Hyde Park terror blast, which left four soldiers dead, because he had effectively been given immunity as part of the peace process.
He said: 'Difficult as I know it is for victims on all sides, I see no point in endlessly searching for evidence for crimes committed so many years ago in the Troubles and which is increasingly difficult, if not impossible, to get given the passage of time.
'If you have addressed the question of former terrorists involved in activity, then it should apply even-handedly right across the board to members of the British security forces as well.'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...shootings.html
Attached Files
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