Michael Christopher Hayes said he was sorry for the innocent people killed when two devices went off in pubs in the city centre in November 1974 but refused to say who planted them. He added he defused a third bomb in the city.
“My foremost thoughts are with the survivors and loved ones of victims of the Birmingham bombs. This news will no doubt have brought memories of that atrocity back to them,” said Dr Farry.
“There is now a need for police to follow up these comments and to further investigate these atrocities. It is also incumbent upon Michael Hayes to name those he was working with when these bombs were planted.
“These revelations further reinforce the ongoing need for justice and truth recovery to always remain on the agenda. People involved in terrorist activity may wish to come forward with the passage of time, and new evidence can be uncovered.
“It demonstrates the need for progress on the legacy of the past, and the implementation of the comprehensive set of structures and mechanisms set out in the Stormont House Agreement.”