THE FAMILIES of the 10 Protestants murdered in the January 1976 Kingsmills massacre officially had it confirmed yesterday that the attack was carried out by the Provisional IRA, according to sources close to the families.
The families yesterday received the report of the investigation into the killings carried out by the North’s Historical Enquiries Team
Kingsmills sources said the team which investigates past killings of the Troubles, confirmed what the families had always believed and what was generally assumed – that the IRA in south Armagh was responsible for the murders. The guns used in the attacks were also used in some 80 murders, attempted murders and other attacks, the sources said.
The investigators also believe that one of the gunmen was subsequently involved in the Omagh bombing which killed 29 people including a woman pregnant with twins, they added.
The Kingsmills families are to officially release the full report at a press conference in Bessbrook, Co Armagh on Tuesday. The attack was one of the worst of the troubles.
The Provisional IRA was supposed to be on ceasefire at the time and the murders were claimed by a group calling itself the South Armagh Republican Action Force. The IRA, however, was blamed for the slaughter and this was confirmed by the historical inquiry, according to the sources.
At least one of the weapons was used by the IRA to murder RUC officers, Chief Supt Harry Breen and Supt Bob Buchanan in 1989, the sources said.
These killings are now the subject of the Smithwick Tribunal which is examining whether there was any Garda collusion in the killings.
The killings were viewed as being in reprisal for the preceding UVF murders in south Armagh of members of the Reavey and O’Dowd families.
The inquiry team found that the IRA was planning the attack in advance of these killings but that the Kingsmills attack may have been prompted or brought forward because of the UVF attacks, the sources added.
The calculating sectarian nature of the Kingsmills massacre caused shock at the time. The workmen’s bus was stopped by members of the IRA gang. The one Catholic among the 12 on the bus was allowed to escape while all the Protestants were gunned down.
Ten died but one of the men, Alan Black who was hit 18 times somehow survived.
In a statement yesterday he hoped the bereaved families would find some comfort from the findings.
