Army

Police Investigate Secretive British Army Unit

Patrick McVeigh & Daniel Rooney - Shot Dead In Belfast In 1972

Detectives in Northern Ireland have issued a direct appeal for information surrounding a secretive British Army unit that operated in Belfast during the early 1970s.

It's alleged that members of the undercover Military Reaction Force (MRF) conducted a series of shootings in the city while hunting for members of the IRA.

Eighteen incidents that took place between April and September 1972 in which 17 people were shot, two fatally, are now under investigation.

Those killed were 44-year-old Patrick McVeigh and 18-year-old Daniel Rooney.

Detective Chief Inspector Peter Montgomery of the PSNI's Legacy Investigations Branch said: "We are looking at these incidents as part of an overall investigation into the activities of the Military Reaction Force at the time."

"We know these events took place a long time ago and we know they took place during one of the worst years of the Troubles when many shootings occurred but we believe there are people out there who can help us progress this investigation and we are appealing to them to contact us."

Det Ch Insp Montgomery added that "I also want to speak to former members of the MRF who served in Northern Ireland and would ask them to come forward and speak to my officers."

The MRF is understood to have operated for around 18 months during one of the most violent periods in the 'Troubles' before being disbanded in 1973. The number of troops involved was small, with about 40 non-uniformed soldiers taking part in patrols throughout West Belfast in unmarked cars.

Many of those shot were teenagers including a 15-year-old boy. A BBC Panorama programme broadcast in 2013 included claims from former MRF members that the unit had indeed killed unarmed people but that the actions had "saved lives".

Among the incidents under investigation are:

The fatal shooting of 44-year-old Patrick McVeigh and shootings of four other men, aged 18, 25, 26 and 41, in the Riverdale Park area of West Belfast on May 12 1972
The fatal shooting of 18-year-old Daniel Rooney and shooting of an 18-year-old man in the St James Crescent area of West Belfast on September 26 1972
The shooting of two brothers, aged 19 and 30, in the Whiterock Road area of West Belfast, at approximately 8am on April 15 1972
The shooting of an 18-year-old man in the Glen Road area of West Belfast at approximately 9pm on May 6 1972
The shooting of a 15-year-old boy outside a disco at Oliver Plunkett School, Glen Road, Belfast, at approximately 11.50pm on May 7 1972
The shooting of an 18-year-old man in the Slievegallion area of West Belfast at approximately 11.30pm on May 12 1972
The shooting at a 34-year-old man in the Silvio Street area of North Belfast at approximately 12.20pm on May 26 1972
The shooting of four men, aged 18, 19, 21 and 28, in the Glen Road area of West Belfast, at approximately 12 midday, on June 22 1972

Anyone with information is urged to contact detectives on 028 92589128 or via email on [email protected]