UNGA deems Islamophobia ‘emerging terror threat’

ISLAMABAD: The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), in an initiative by Pakistan to recognise Islamophobia as an emerging threat, has unanimously adopted the revised Global Counter Terrorism Strategy (GCTS) calling upon the international community to take measures to address new terrorist threats on the basis of “xenophobia, racism and Islamophobia”. “The initiative for the recognition of Islamophobia as an emerging terrorist threat under the GCTS was spearheaded by Pakistan, together with other OIC (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation) countries,” the ex-paratrooper, was accused of murdering Mr Wray and Mr McKinney on Bloody Sunday on January 30 1972, when troops opened fire on civil rights demonstrators in Derry’s Bogside, killing 13 people.

He also stood accused of the attempted murders of Patrick O’Donnell, Joseph Friel, Joe Mahon and Michael Quinn. He faced a further supporting charge of the attempted murder of a person or persons unknown on the day.

The case against him had reached the stage of a committal hearing at Derry Magistrates’ Court to determine whether there was sufficient evidence to proceed to trial.

In the case of Soldier B, the PPS had announced in 2019 an intention to prosecute him for the murder of Daniel and the wounding with intent of his cousin Christopher Hegarty, then aged 16.

The shooting happened during Operation Motorman – an Army attempt to wrest control of no-go areas of Derry from the grip of the IRA. Daniel and Christopher, who had gone to watch the military operation, were shot after encountering an Army patrol in the Creggan area in the early hours of July 31, 1972.

The PPS had not yet got to the stage of issuing summons to formally commence the prosecution of Soldier B – a delay caused by the veteran’s unsuccessful High Court bid to challenge the move to bring charges against him. His planned prosecution will now no longer proceed.