Statement from McGuinness

In a statement issued yesterday afternoon, Mr Martin McGuinness said he would treat Mr Glasgow's comments "with the contempt …

In a statement issued yesterday afternoon, Mr Martin McGuinness said he would treat Mr Glasgow's comments "with the contempt they deserve".

He said: "These comments are an obvious attempt to deflect the spotlight away from the weight of evidence that continues to be presented and which indicts not only the British soldiers who fired the shots on Bloody Sunday, but also their military and political masters.

"I have already stated publicly that I have no problem giving evidence to the inquiry, although I have concerns about the lack of equivalence in the presentation of evidence, e.g. the anonymity for British military witnesses and the wilful destruction of weapons used on Bloody Sunday by the British Ministry of Defence."

Mr McGuinness said he had already had a number of meetings with his solicitor to determine "the most adequate way to present my evidence to the inquiry". When that was decided, he would first inform the families. The tribunal and the media would then be notified.