Video: Person who usually travelled with Kingsmill men named as suspect - inquest

The Protestants were shot dead by a republican gang after their minibus was stopped near the village of Kingsmill in South Armagh in 1976. The only Catholic on board was ordered to flee.

A list of the names of serious crime suspects, given by a self-confessed IRA member, was drawn up. Not all were suspected of involvement in Kingsmill.

Alex Kane QC, barrister for relatives of the dead, told the Belfast inquest someone who "usually travelled" on the minibus was named on the list.

The victims were travelling home from work in a textile factory when they were ambushed.

An 11th man, Alan Black, survived despite being seriously injured.

A witness to the inquest, former Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) detective chief inspector James Mitchell, was presented by a barrister with a list of names of those linked to Kingsmill and other deaths.

Some were implicated in the killing of three Royal Scots soldiers and the knife murder of Joseph McCullough, from Tullyvallen in South Armagh, Mr Kane told the inquest.

Mr Mitchell said the names of leading Provisional IRA members were on the list but most of the suspects lived in the Republic of Ireland, which would have required extradition proceedings to arrest them.

Recently a match was made by police in Northern Ireland between a palm print found on the Kingsmill getaway vehicle and a suspect. One man was quizzed but not charged.

It emerged at the inquest in Belfast on Wednesday that Irish police had a fingerprint of the suspect.

Mr Kane said: "If the Garda had co-operated then a match of S54 would have been made in 1976 or 1977 rather than 34 years later.

"If that match had been confirmed that would have been a vital piece of evidence."

Read: Kingsmills probe manpower 'totally inadequate' inquest hears