Soldiers 'probably' shot 24 civilians

The barrister representing almost 500 soldiers who were involved in the Bloody Sunday operation said yesterday his clients had…

The barrister representing almost 500 soldiers who were involved in the Bloody Sunday operation said yesterday his clients had probably shot 24 out of 27 civilians who were shot in the Bogside area of Derry on January 30th, 1972, during a civil rights march.

Mr Edwin Glasgow QC also said that one of the wounded, Mr Alex Nash, was shot by "an IRA gunman". He agreed with the inquiry's chairman, Lord Saville, that based on the evidence his clients had given to the inquiry, no explanation had been given as to how "most of those who were killed or wounded met their fate".

Thirteen of the civilians shot by paratroopers on Bloody Sunday died. Mr Glasgow said it was accepted that the "probability is" that the soldiers of the First Battalion of the Parachute Regiment - his clients - were responsible for all of the deaths and woundings with the exception of the woundings of Ms Peggy Deery, Mr Patrick McDaid, Mr Alex Nash and Official IRA gunman Mickey Doherty.

Mr Glasgow said Mr Nash had been shot by an IRA gunman.

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The inquiry resumes on Monday.