Troubles group says Britain must admit illegal activity

The body set-up by the British Government to examine ways to address the legacy of the Troubles has said the authorities must own up to engaging in illegal activity.

In an interim report today, the Consultative Group on the Past said the actions of the British Government in the North must be addressed along with those of republican and loyalist paramilitaries.

It says elements of the British State acted outside the law and allowed innocent people to die.

The group says the state itself needs to acknowledge its full and complex role in the Troubles if society is to move away from the past.

Its final report, due out later this year, will include suggestions on how this can be achieved.