A British army Major, who was shot by an IRA gang, today claimed "young Derry hooligans" were among those killed on Bloody Sunday.
The officer, referred to as INQ 1872, who was part of the team presenting the military case to the 1972 inquiry into the shootings, lost his right hand after the ambush in March of that year.
Maj Colin Wallace, a British army intelligence officer, alleged to the Bloody Sunday inquiry, in September this year, that Sinn Féin's chief negotiator Mr Martin McGuinness had been part of that IRA group.
The purpose of a military investigation into the Bloody Sunday shootings was not to ascertain if shots were justifiably fired, the Saville inquiry heard today.
The investigator, referred to as INQ-2052, who took statements from soldiers on duty during the ill-fated march, also denied influencing evidence.
He told the inquiry, which is being held in London, that the purpose of the investigation had been simply to record facts and that interviews had been carried out over "sandwiches and tea".
Thirteen unarmed people were killed on January 30th, 1972 at a Derry civil rights march.The Widgery inquiry into the incident held in 1972 exonerated the paratroopers finding that they had only shot in self-defence.
But now a new inquiry into the Bloody Sunday shootings is being held to scrutinise new evidence which has come to light.
In his statement, the investigator told the hearing that his role after Bloody Sunday involved taking statements from soldiers who had either discharged rounds or witnessed the discharge of rounds.
He said: "I cannot now recall if I took statements from soldiers who had been fired at."
Describing the procedure of carrying out interviews, he said: "I interviewed the soldier wherever his unit was located. It was not a very formal procedure. I always wore civilian clothing and the soldier was usually relaxed.
"The purpose of our investigation was to record the facts of the incident."He went on: "We did not check weapons or, indeed, ask any questions about weapons if our investigations concerned a soldier firing his weapon.
"It was not our role to ascertain whether the soldier was justified in firing or whether his behaviour was lawful or unlawful; our role was merely to record the facts of the incident."
PA