Police are to open a fresh investigation into the suspected IRA murder of 10 Protestant workers in South Armagh during the Troubles, following the forensic re-examination of a palm print left on a getaway vehicle.
A public inquiry into the 1976 Kingsmill massacre heard on Tuesday that the Police Service of Northern Ireland had found new forensic evidence linking a suspect to the atrocity.
The evidence was found on a getaway van believed to have been driven by the killers. They used the flag of convenience of the “South Armagh Republican Reaction Force” to claim responsibility for the massacre but the Provisional IRA was widely blamed.
Relatives of the murdered men, who were singled out because of their religion – the only Catholic worker on the minibus they were travelling in was allowed to flee before the gang opened fire – expressed shock at the new investigation.
Outside the public inquiry at Belfast high court, Colin Worton, whose 24-year-old brother Kenneth was among those killed, said: “I have to be truthful to you. I do feel a mixture of emotions, but one of the worst ones I have is anger. Why has this taken more than 40 years to come out?”
Asst Ch Const Mark Hamilton, the head of the PSNI’s legacy and justice department, explained the force’s decision to launch a new murder investigation.
“Due to a recent forensic development, detectives from legacy investigation branch are now following a line of inquiry in relation to the murders at Kingsmill in 1976,” he said.
“We have been liaising with the coroner’s office in relation to this and will continue to do so. We are committed to progressing this matter as expeditiously as possible and will keep [the families] updated as appropriate.”
A barrister for the PSNI told the Kingsmill inquiry on Tuesday that the new forensic evidence was discovered last week, and a senior PSNI detective had been appointed to head the new investigation.
No one has ever been convicted in connection with the massacre, which took place shortly after a series of Ulster loyalist killings of Catholics in Co Armagh.
The relatives of the Kingsmill victims have fought for 13 years for a fresh inquiry. On the opening day more than a week ago it emerged that two suspects connected to the massacre were given so-called letters of comfort from Tony Blair’s government as part of a secret deal with Sinn Féin during the peace process to allow IRA “on the runs” or wanted fugitives back into Northern Ireland.
