Well, isn't this just special? I had an acquaintance who had been in the Paras around this time, and he said the whole thing was a set-up all the way round. Who can say?....
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I fired shots on Bloody Sunday, says IRA man
By Daniel Foggo and Alan Murray
(Filed: 20/01/2002)
http://www.portal.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2002/01/20/nblud20.xml

EVIDENCE has emerged that the IRA fired dozens of shots at British soldiers during the Bloody Sunday civil rights demonstration.

The Saville inquiry has been presented with a written statement by a Provisional IRA gunman - referred to as Witness X - in which he admits having emptied two full magazines of his carbine at soldiers of the Parachute Regiment.

He also states that attacking the troops in Londonderry was "a joint operation" involving the Provisionals and armed members of the Official IRA, from whom they had recently split.

The disclosure contradicts the stance taken by Martin McGuinness, who was the Provisionals' second in command in the city at the time of the 1972 disturbance, which resulted in the death of 14 civilians.

Mr McGuinness, who has yet to give evidence to the Saville inquiry, has said: "I will definitely tell the tribunal that the IRA did not engage militarily with British forces to ensure the civil rights march passed off peacefully."

The Parachute Regiment has maintained that its soldiers were shot at before they returned fire, a claim denied by Republicans.

In his statement, which was made to RUC officers shortly after the incident on January 30, Witness X says: "It was a joint operation.

"I was firing from Glenfada. I used two full magazines. I had four magazines altogether." He adds that he understood there were two Provisional IRA units and two Official IRA units on active duty that day.

Weapons training beforehand is also described in his statement, with mention of guns such as "the Garand", .303 and .306 rifles and Thompson machine-guns. "On Bloody Sunday I was using a carbine," he says.

His statement also contradicts evidence given to the tribunal in April 2000 by Reg Tester, the former Official IRA quartermaster, who claimed that the local brigade had already cached all but two of its weapons days before the march.

A former Para said last night: "This goes some way to vindicating what we have been saying for 30 years, namely that we were only returning fire and we were facing an organised attack."

It is understood that Witness X has not made a more recent statement in regard to Bloody Sunday and he is not scheduled to give evidence in person to the tribunal.





19 January 2002: Thousands take to Ulster's streets in call for peace
16 January 2002: £100m bill for inquiry into Bloody Sunday
8 January 2002: Bloody Sunday actor 'is wrong'
20 December 2001: Judges back Bloody Sunday soldiers
27 March 2000: March heralds Bloody Sunday inquiry  

  Related reports  
 
Jenny McCartney: Sinn Fein want to keep those 13 ghosts walking
 

External links  
 
Bloody Sunday Inquiry
 
Bloody Sunday Trust
 
Northern Ireland Assembly
 
Northern Ireland Office
 
Bloody Sunday - CAIN Web Service
 
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No matter how cynical I get, I just can't keep up.
- --LILY TOMLIN

Anonymity and lack of cross-examination of "Deep Throat" didn't stop Nixon from being torpedoed by Watergate. Also, Witness X, were he to be given official credence, would similarly torpedo many careers, reputations and legends (on both sides) built up around this event, if he is taken seriously.