Sinn Féin MP Francie Molloy has said the role played by the British government in supplying weapons and information to loyalist death squads must be fully investigated. 

The Mid Ulster MP said: 

“The latest revelations about the role of the British government and its involvement in supplying weapons and information to loyalist death squads raises many questions. 

“From the 1970s, hundreds of weapons from British army and UDR bases found their way into the lands of loyalists, particularly in areas like Armagh and East Tyrone. 

“In the 1980s, British intelligence services were involved in supplying loyalists with weapons from South Africa. Some of these weapons were distributed to Ulster Resistance, which was formed with the support of the DUP. Those weapons were used in dozens of killing across the north for many years. 

“Many of these weapons are still in the hands of loyalists today, including the weapons which were in the hands of Ulster Resistance. 

“What control, if any, do British intelligence services have over these weapons today? 

“Neither the DUP nor the British government can walk away from any of this and they cannot airbrush their role in the conflict. 

“The British government have responsibility to ensure a legacy mechanisms are put in place to address the legacy of the conflict.”