The former British paratrooper known as Soldier F has been found not guilty of murder on Bloody Sunday.
He was also acquitted of attempted murder at Belfast Crown Court on Thursday.
There was silence among families of Bloody Sunday victims in court 12 at Laganside court when the verdict was delivered by Judge Patrick Lynch.
There was also no reaction from those in the public gallery supporting the former British solider, who is now in his 70s.
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Thirteen people were killed when members of the British army’s elite Parachute Regiment opened fire on anti-internment marchers in the Bogside area of Derry on January 30th, 1972. A 14th died later.
Following a police investigation, the North’s Public Prosecution Service (PPS) announced in 2019 that Soldier F was to be charged with the murders of James Wray and William McKinney and five counts of attempted murder on Bloody Sunday, with court proceedings beginning later that year.
The non-jury trial of Soldier F for the murders began at Belfast Crown Court before Judge Patrick Lynch last month.
The only member of the British armed forces to face prosecution for his actions on Bloody Sunday, Soldier F cannot be identified due to a court order.
He appeared in court for the duration of the trial completely shielded from view by a black curtain, to preserve his anonymity.
The campaign of Bloody Sunday families will not conclude with the acquittal of Soldier F, families have said.
Ciaran Shiels, a solicitor who represents some of the Bloody Sunday families, said there was no right of appeal in the case.
Asked what was next for the cause, he said they were waiting for a review from the Public Prosecution Service in relation to alleged perjury and said they would push for a prosecution to be taken “without further delay”.
“We’re not finished yet,” said Mickey McKinney, a brother of Bloody Sunday victim William McKinney, adding that they viewed taking the case as “big”.
“It’s a big one, we took them to the wire.” – additional reporting: PA
