The soldier, identified only as Soldier F, was on Thursday charged by prosecutors in Northern Ireland with two counts of murder and four counts of attempted murder for his alleged role in the 1972 Bloody Sunday killings in Londonderry.
Thirteen civilians were killed when British Army paratroopers opened fire on a civil rights march in Northern Ireland’s second-largest city, also known as Derry, in one of the bloodiest and most-contested episodes of the sectarian conflict known as the Troubles.
Yet news of the prosecution was met with dismay in London, where many lawmakers are deeply uncomfortable at the idea that former military and police personnel face the threat of legal action for alleged offenses committed decades ago in the heat of the conflict.
Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson said the government will pay Soldier F’s legal costs and pledged reforms to ensure former soldiers aren’t “unfairly treated” in investigations into Troubles-era deaths. The government has yet to publish firm proposals but ideas floated include a statute of limitations to limit prosecutions.
“Our serving and former personnel cannot live in constant fear of prosecution,” he said.
The charges represent the culmination of a fresh police investigation into Bloody Sunday triggered by a 12-year inquiry into the events of Jan. 30, 1972, that in 2010 concluded the victims posed no threat and the killings were unjustified.
Overwhelmed by ‘Brexit’? Here Are the Basics
Fear of being overrun by immigrants was a driving concern for “Leave” voters. But globalization concerns and a desire to wrest Britain from under Brussels’ thumb were also key factors.
.. Boris Johnson, the former mayor of London who backed leaving the E.U., is considered a front-runner to succeed Mr. Cameron.
.. Investors fled to the American dollar and the yen.
.. London’s role as a financial center could be imperiled, particularly if the trade in euro-denominated securities moves to rival cities like Paris and Frankfurt.
.. Scotland and Northern Ireland could go their own way. Both voted overwhelmingly to stay in the E.U. But prominent political leaders in Scotland and Northern Ireland called on Friday for new moves toward separating from Britain.
.. Northern Ireland has an open border with the Republic of Ireland, a member of the bloc. Border crossings could now be tightened, and pressure could increase for unification, prompting instability in both places.
.. Donald J. Trump: “I said this was going to happen, and I think that it’s a great thing.”
The British people “have declared their independence from the European Union, and have voted to reassert control over their own politics, borders and economy,” Mr. Trump said. “A Trump administration pledges to strengthen our ties with a free and independent Britain.”