McGuinness may testify at Bloody Sunday inquiry

Sinn Fein negotiator Martin McGuinness says that he is "giving very serious consideration" to the idea of testifying to the Bloody Sunday inquiry.

Mr McGuinness, who has previously refused to give evidence, was named at the inquiry as the possible instigator of the violence by witnesses who claimed he fired the first shot of the day.

The tribunal, chaired by Lord Saville of Newdigate, is investigating events in Londonderry on 30 January 1972. Fourteen people were shot dead when violence broke out during a civil rights march.

Yesterday Mr McGuinness dismissed the allegation as "a pathetic fabrication", saying that despite reservations about the inquiry's operation, he was considering giving evidence. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Anyone firing a gun on Bloody Sunday would have been a huge target-point for over two decades, but this has never been mentioned before. This is the first time this allegation has been made and it is total nonsense."