Coagh shootings: 'Attempts to re-write history must always be resisted' - Buchanan

He was speaking following the provisional findings of the inquest into the shootings of three IRA terrorists in Coagh in 1991.

The DUP MLA said: “The coroner’s provisional findings in relation to Coagh remind us that all of those IRA terrorists who entered Coagh that day did so with the express intent to commit murder.

"That of course was the case every time with terrorist groups whose sole aim was to bring death and destruction on to our streets.

"The fact that soldiers were in place in Coagh again highlights the importance of intelligence gathering from within terrorist organisations and how innocent lives could be saved as a result.

"Whilst there are criticisms of the military operation, the use of lethal force by the soldiers was justified. Attempts to rewrite history and deliberately misrepresent the role played by the security forces must always be resisted.

"For those of us who stand in support of the rule of law it is important that due process is followed, yet those who eulogise terrorists still cling to the belief that there was 'no alternative' to terrorists holding a family hostage, stealing a car and setting out with the intent to murder someone going about their daily life.”

The inquest into the deaths of Peter Ryan, Tony Doris and Lawrence McNally in Coagh on June 3 1991, opened in 2022.

The three men were intercepted as they drove in a stolen car through Coagh by SAS soldiers, who suspected they intended to murder a member of the security forces.