Atrocities during the Troubles, including the Dublin and Monaghan bombings and the attack on members of the Miami Showband, will be part of a new inquiry, confirmed today.
The British police officer who investigated the activities of the alleged IRA informer, Stakeknife, has been asked to lead the inquiry into the activities of a group of loyalist paramilitaries, known as the Glenanne gang.
Retired Bedfordshire Chief Constable Jon Boutcher has agreed to carry out what is described as an analytical report on collusion into incidents involving the loyalists who were linked with over 100 murders, mainly in the Tyrone and Armagh areas, in the 1970's and 1980's.
The Glennane group was suspected of involvement in up to 90 attacks, including the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings where 34 people died, and the killing of members of the Miami Showband.
There have been consistent allegations that the loyalists had direct links to elements of the security forces in Northern Ireland.
In a statement Mr Boutcher said "the review of the Glennane Gang Series will have the interests of the victims and their loved ones at its very heart.
"I have started to meet with the families and their representatives and have promised each of them that I will do everything I can to establish the truth about who was responsible for these terrible crimes."
