Ex-IRA man's claims 'are lies'

[emad]

From the UK's BBC News:

A former IRA man has told "a tissue of lies" to the Bloody Sunday Inquiry, a barrister representing Martin McGuinness has said.
Barra McGrory was responding to claims made by Paddy Ward, who has been addressing the inquiry from behind screens for a second day on Tuesday. The inquiry is examining the events of 30 January 1972 when 13 civilians were shot dead by soldiers during a civil rights march in Londonderry. Another man died later from his injuries. Mr Ward has claimed that he was the leader of the Fianna, the junior wing of the IRA in Derry, and that he distributed 16 nailbombs on Bloody Sunday with the help of Martin McGuinness. The Sinn Fein MP confirmed in his first statement to the tribunal that he was a senior member of the IRA at the time.

Mr McGrory suggested to Mr Ward that he was a "nonentity" and that his evidence was "a complete and utter fabrication and a tissue of lies".

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Mr Ward said he rejected the suggestion, and claimed that other former IRA members had been coerced into making statements to discredit him. Mr Ward earlier gave to the inquiry names of several people whom he claims were in the junior wing of the IRA at the time of Bloody Sunday. It is understood Mr Ward also named a number of other individuals whom he claims were senior members of the IRA at the time. The names were given to the tribunal in private by Mr Ward, and they will not be disclosed.

Lord Saville of Newdigate and the Commonwealth judges accompanying him on the Bloody Sunday inquiry began their work nearly four years ago. They are not expected to report back until next year.

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/3210664.stm


One unexpected offshoot of this enquiry is that it has publicly and effectively corralled all criminal elements - regardless of their religious affiliations - into an admission of collusion in murder, conspiracy and cover-up. And the irony of it all is they couldn't see it coming.....