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.
The move was announced by the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) after examining evidence submitted following a police investigation.
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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 an 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.
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It operated for about 18 months before it was disbanded in 1973.
In 2013, the then director of public prosecutions, Barra McGrory, instructed the Police Service of Northern (PSNI) to investigate claims that the unit had been involved in the killing of unarmed civilians.
The police submitted files to PPS in 2020.
The daughter of Patrick McVeigh, Pat McVeigh, said her family had been devastated by his death.
Speaking to the BBC, she said: "We were just left in limbo and the fact that we have tried and tried for over 50 years to see justice done, for his name to be cleared.
"This case should have been taken to court in the 1970s."
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