Two British soldiers present when a Co Derry man was shot dead almost 40 years ago have been linked to the killing of two other men, including a Protestant civilian.
Details emerged during an inquest hearing on Friday into the killing of Co Derry man Francis Bradley (20), who was shot dead close to an arms dump during an SAS ambush near Toome in February 1986.
His name was later added to the IRA’s roll of honour.
An inquest, which opened in Derry in April, heard how Mr Bradley had told of being threatened by police before he was killed.
The inquest process has been held up due to disclosure delays by the Ministry of Defence and PSNI.
A delayed hearing to consider Public Immunity Interest (PII) certificates linked to the case has yet to take place.
PII certificates are used by state agencies to conceal information they don’t want the public to see.
It has now emerged that two soldiers present when Mr Bradley was killed are linked to the deaths of two other men in the late 1980s.
During Friday’s hearing Karen Quinlivan KC, acting for the Bradley family, raised the issue of cross-referencing military personnel involved in the Bradley ambush and other incidents.
While it was known that a British soldier, known as Soldier C, had fired shots the night Mr Bradley was killed, coroner Peter Irvine heard another SAS member, known as Soldier A, described as “a shooter”.
Ms Quinlivan told the court “it now transpires he was also a shooter in the killing of Seamus McElwain”, who was shot dead in April 1986.
The 26-year-old IRA man was one of two men ambushed by the SAS close to the border in Co Fermanagh.
Ms Quinlivan also referred to another SAS member known as Soldier D.
“Soldier D, who wasn’t a shooter in this inquest but (is) now identified as a shooter in the killing of Kenneth Strong,” she added.
A Protestant from the village area of south Belfast, Mr Stronge (46) was driving past an RUC station at North Queen Street when the IRA launched a gun and rocket attack in July 1988.
It is believed that an undercover SAS unit positioned in the station grounds returned fire striking the victim.
He died from a heart attack in hospital three days later.
Concerns have previously been raised that British government agencies are involved in trying to ‘run down the clock’ on Mr Bradley’s inquest ahead of a May 1 cut-off date under the contentious Legacy Act.
It is currently facing a legal challenge in the High Court and the Irish government has confirmed it will also take an inter-state case against the British government.
An original inquest was held in 1987, however, in 2010 former Attorney General John Larkin ordered a new one, which has yet to be completed.
Mr Bradley’s father, Eddie Bradley, passed away last week after a short illness.
The 88-year-old had campaigned tirelessly on behalf of his son for almost four decades.