Ex-British soldier released on bail after Bloody Sunday arrest
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Ex-British soldier released on bail after Bloody Sunday arrest

A FORMER British soldier, arrested in the North of Ireland in connection with the Bloody Sunday killings, has been released on bail. 

The 66-year-old was arrested on Tuesday by officers from the PSNI’s Legacy Investigation Branch in Co. Antrim.

He was held at a police station in Belfast and questioned before being released last night.

The former soldier’s arrest was the first in relation to Bloody Sunday since 2012 – when a new murder investigation was announced.

British soldiers opened fire on a civilian march in Derry City on January 30, 1972.

Thirteen people died immediately in the shooting, while a fourteenth died some months later.

Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron apologised in 2010 for Bloody Sunday, saying it was “unjustified and unjustifiable”.

“A 66-year-old man, arrested by detectives from Legacy Investigation Branch investigating the events of Bloody Sunday, has been released on police bail pending further enquiries,” a PSNI spokesperson told The Irish Post.

His arrest marks the first in connection with one of the most controversial days in Irish history.

Detective Chief Inspector Ian Harrison, who is leading the investigation, said the arrest “marked a new phase in the overall investigation which would continue for some time”.