Northern Ireland

McGurks Bar relatives calls for General Frank Kitson to be questioned over IRA 'own goal' reports

The Bloody Sunday Trust has said former British army officer, General Frank Kitson, who has died, left a 'terrible legacy' in Northern Ireland.

RELATIVES of people killed in the McGurk’s Bar bomb have called for a former British army officer to be questioned by a police force independent of the PSNI.

Fifteen people were killed when the UVF detonated a bomb in the North Queen Street bar in north Belfast in December 1971.

At the time security forces blamed the IRA but this was later shown not to be true.

Campaigners say that recently uncovered documents appear to show that former British army officer General Frank Kitson had knowledge of the false reports being peddled to the media by the RUC in the aftermath of the bomb.

He was in charge of military operations in the north during the early 1970s.

Ciarán MacAirt, whose grandmother Kitty Irvine was killed in the bomb attack, has called for General Kitson to be questioned under caution after finding an entry in a British army log dated December 5, 1971 – a day after the bomb attack.

It reads: “RUC have a line that the bomb in the pub was a bomb designed to be used elsewhere, left in the pub to be picked up by Provisional IRA. Bomb went off and was a mistake. RUC press office have a line on it – NI should deal with them”.

The message was from “Bde Comd”, which campaigners believe is the British military abbreviation for “Brigade Commander”.

According to campaigners the Brigade Commander of 39 Infantry Brigade at the time was General Frank Kitson - known at the time as Brigadier Kitson.

Mr MacAirt said General Kitson should be questioned by an independent police force.

“This is absolutely critical evidence relating to the genesis of the McGurk’s Bar lie which blamed our loved ones for the massacre and allowed mass-murderers to roam free and murder again,” he said.

Niall Ó’Murchú, of Kinnear and Co Solicitors, said he has raised the matter with police.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said: “Any questions around police investigations must be directed to them.”

PSNI Assistant Chief Constable George Clarke offered his sympathies to relatives of those killed.

“The PSNI is in receipt of correspondence from the families legal representatives, the contents of which are under consideration and will be responded to in the near future,” he said.

“The bombing was the subject of a review by the Historical Enquiries Team and an investigation by our Serious Crime Branch.

“There are ongoing judicial review proceedings concerning the HET report and PSNI will continue to cooperate fully with these proceedings.”

He added that there are currently new lines of enquiry in the case.