Sinn Fein MP Mr Martin McGuinness has confirmed to the Bloody Sunday inquiry that he was second in charge of the Derry Command of the IRA on the day of the killings, it emerged tonight.
In the statement lodged by the Mid-Ulster MP to the Saville Inquiry, Mr McGuinness said: "I was the adjutant [second in command] of the Derry Command of the IRA."
In the statement leaked to journalists in Derry, Mr McGuinness said: "I was instructed to issue orders to all volunteers that the IRA would not engage militarily with British forces."
The Sinn Fein MP also rejected claims that he fired the first shot on Bloody Sunday and indicates that IRA volunteers were ordered not to take on the British Army on the day of the march.
It confirmed that two IRA units were placed on standby in the Creggan and Brandywell areas of the city but were not in the Bogside where the march took place.
Mr McGuinness is reported to have said he would not identify any IRA members when he takes the witness stand to give evidence to the inquiry.
PA