Call to charge McGuiness with IRA membership

Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness was tonight preparing to admit publicly for the first time that he was the IRA’s second-in-command in Derry on Bloody Sunday.

But there was a call tonight for Government to monitor what he said and to charge him with IRA membership following any confession.

The demand came from Northern Ireland Assembly member Ian Paisley jnr, Justice spokesman in the hardline Democratic Unionist Party.

Despite the fact that there is a degree of immunity from prosecution for witnesses to the Inquiry he said: ‘‘If Martin McGuinness takes the opportunity to confess his role as an IRA commander, then I think the Government have a duty to ensure that after that confession he is arrested and charged with IRA membership.’’

Mr Paisley added:’’ I think the due process of law should take its role and the Education minister should end up in jail’’.

Mr McGuinness will also tell the tribunal that armed IRA members were in the Creggan and Brandywell area of Londonderry during the march on January 30 1972, but that it had been agreed by the organisation in advance the event should be peaceful, it was understood.

He will reject outright as ‘‘rubbish and a lie’’ allegations made during the Bloody Sunday inquiry that he fired the first shot on the fateful day.

According to sources, the Sinn Fein minister will confirm to the inquiry that the IRA was asked to accept that Derry ‘‘should be peaceful to facilitate the march’’.

At a meeting with the Derry IRA Operating Commander, Mr McGuinness expressed support for the proposal and on the day before the march he was ‘‘instructed to inform all volunteers that the IRA would not engage militarily with the British forces to ensure that the civil rights march passed off peacefully,’’ a source said.

Everyone Mr McGuinness spoke to agreed with the proposal, he will say.

An authoritative source said: ‘‘Eight IRA volunteers in two units were armed but were instructed to remain in the Creggan and the Brandywell.

‘‘All other IRA weapons were placed in a closed dump and all other volunteers, other than those in the Brandywell and Creggan, were told they could go to the march or spend the day with their families.’’

Mr McGuinness will tell the inquiry that he stayed with the march from beginning to end.

His statement will be made in the near future at a time to be agreed by the minister, his solicitors and the inquiry.

Mr McGuinness has been under strong pressure from the Saville Inquiry team to make such a statement.

The pressure intensified after a security services agent claimed to the inquiry that Mr McGuinness had fired the first shot on Bloody Sunday before troops opened fire.

Once he has made the statement he will, like the hundreds of others who have made one, be liable to be called to give evidence in person and face cross-examination by lawyers representing both the families of those who died and the security forces.