McGuinness 'authorised human bombs'

Published Wednesday, 25 April 2012
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The Smithwick Tribunal has heard allegations that deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness was involved in authorising "human bomb" attacks.

McGuinness 'authorised human bombs'
The deputy First Minister questioned Mr Hurst’s credibility. (© Pacemaker)

Former intelligence officer Ian Hurst, also known as Martin Ingram, also claimed that Mr McGuinness did not leave the IRA in the 1970s.

Evidence given in private session last week is now being read to the tribunal, which is investigating the 1989 murders of two senior RUC officers in an ambush on the Irish border.

On Tuesday it heard claims from Mr Hurst that a "Mr McGuinness" was involved with the IRA's Northern Command as it sanctioned the shootings of Harry Breen and Bob Buchanan.

A statement from Sinn Féin said the deputy First Minister rejects the allegations.

It added: "This individual who uses a variety of names including Martin Ingram has no credibility.

"By his own admission he is part of a British security apparatus which played a very negative and malign role in the conflict, including widespread involvement in collusion."

The tribunal was also told that the high-ranking double agent known as Stakeknife was Freddie Scappaticci and that he was also in the IRA's Northern Command and would have known about the RUC murders.

A redacted version of Mr Hurst's evidence said: "It was authorised at Northern Command and Mr McGuinness was involved as OC (Officer Commanding).

"He (Stakeknife) was their most skilled investigator of suspected informers and he acted as one of their executioners."

The tribunal is investigating allegations of Garda collusion over the IRA murders of officers Breen and Buchanan, just north of the border in Co Armagh, 23 years ago.

They had been returning from a meeting with senior garda in Dundalk in the Republic of Ireland when they were attacked. The Provisional IRA claimed the murders.

© UTV News
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15 Comments
steve in belfast wrote (390 days ago):
@ Lorna you are very naive if you think Mr McGuiness will come clean about what he has done in the past.He is in no way making a mockery of the people who voted him into office, they know exactly who Martin is and what he has done,the police,army,the intelligence services all know what he has done,they can,t or are not allowed to do anything about it,so we just have to get on with living in a country where men of terror rule the roost.
dave in northern ireland wrote (391 days ago):
once again utv fail to print my comments, which where fair and what any right minded law abiding citizen would say.utv has never given unionists air time,disgusted.
Michael "O" in Co.Down wrote (391 days ago):
Michael H. You echo the thoughts of those right minded thinking people of this country. I can, albeit reluctantly acknowledge that there will be a bit of "Expenses inaccuracies" and a bit of the "Odd sex scandal" by some of those MLA's on the hill, what I can't and wont accept is people who were involved in terrorist activities, and as a result, innocent people of this country having been murdered ....... still in the face of overwhelming evidence refuse to disclose the truth...... I find it nauseating hypocrisy these people govern us in this part of the UK and demand everyone else tell the truth and yet..........?
Charlie in Belfast. wrote (391 days ago):
Well said Michael H. but the truth is that the legally convicted murderers, jailbirds, bombers and IRA Commanders who were granted their freedom under the pathetic Anglo Irish Agreement and are now sitting in the Government of Northern Ireland will never, never, never confess their crimes to anyone other than a Priest of the Roman Catholic Church. Nevertheless we all know who they are and are aware of their dasterdly past.
Peter in Armagh wrote (391 days ago):
Why does your report not include the greatest bombshell revelation of the last 40 years in Ireland? Hurst stated that British intelligence services had hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Irish politicians, civil servants, police and military personnel, and no doubt journalists and captialist-types, on their books.
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