THE TRIAL OF two men accused of murdering two British soldiers at the Massereene barracks in 2009 is due to begin today at Antrim Crown Court.

Colin Duffy and Brian Shivers, both veteran republicans, deny killing the two soldiers in a Real IRA attack two years ago as the soldiers were collecting a pizza delivery at the front of the base. The two face charges of murder and several charges of attempted murder – a number of other people were wounded in the attack in which over 60 shots were fired, including a pizza delivery man.

The two soldiers, Patrick Azimkar (21) and Mark Quinsey (23) were murdered just hours before they were due to fly out to Afghanistan.

The Guardian reports that Duffy and Shivers will plead not guilty. It is not yet known if they will take the stand during the trial, which is expected to last up to five weeks.

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Trial of Massereene accused to begin in Antrim today

Making a difference

A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.