Inquiry call into La Mon bombing

Twelve people died in the La Mon Hotel atrocity

Relatives of victims of an IRA bombing more than 30 years ago are expected to call for a full public inquiry into the atrocity later.

Twelve people were killed and many more injured when the La Mon Hotel, east of Belfast, was firebombed on 17 February 1978.

The IRA targeted the hotel where 400 people were attending a dinner dance.

Relatives are expected to say a report by the Historical Enquiries Team "lacks integrity and morality".

Ulster Unionist MLA Michael Copeland has been working closely with three of the families.

"The problem for the victims is that they have read the report and do not feel that it answers the essential questions that they wished, or felt, or hoped would be answered," he said.

"There seems to be a substantial amount of evidence that was either lost, misplaced or missing and the victims at this stage are not content.

"They believe there is more that could, and in the future may, be done.

"in the investigation at the time, there were almost 40 arrests.

"They were intelligence based and we're still unclear about how much of the intelligence that was used at the time is available from the time and what use it was put to."

Those who died had been attending the annual dinner dance of the Irish Collie Club.

All of those killed were Protestants and included a reservist in the Royal Ulster Constabulary.