This case involves the Military Reaction Force
An Army veteran is to be charged with the murder of a man and the attempted murder of six others in Belfast during the Troubles more than 50 years ago.
Three other former soldiers will also face prosecution for attempted murder. he move was announced by the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) after examining evidence submitted following a police investigation.Due to the timing of the decisions, the cases are not affected by the Legacy Act. From later in 2024, the Legacy Act will offer amnesties in Troubles cases.
A veteran referred to as Soldier F will face a charge of murdering Patrick McVeigh, 44, at Finaghy Road North in May 1972. He will also be prosecuted for the attempted murder of four other people in the same incident. Along with individuals referred to Soldiers B, C, and D he is also to be charged with the attempted murder of two people in a separate shooting at Slievegallon Drive in west Belfast, also in May 1972.
The individuals referred to as Soldier F and Soldier C are not the same individuals involved in any previous or on-going prosecution relating to events in Northern Ireland in 1972.
All the shootings involved a undercover Army unit called the Military Reaction Force (MRF), which operated in Belfast in the early 1970s. It was a small, secretive unit and consisted of about 40 soldiers who patrolled west Belfast in unmarked cars. It operated for about 18 months before it was disbanded in 1973.
In 2013, former members of the unit told a BBC Panorama programme that the unit had been involved in the killing of unarmed civilians.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-68238984