Gerry Adams murder arrest is

'politically motivated'
SATURDAY 03 MAY 2014
Martin McGuinness repeats claims the arrest of Sinn Fein presient Gerr!
Aams is politicall! moti"ate# accusin$ mem%ers of the &olice Ser"ice of 'orthern
(relan of %ein$ a$ainst the peace process)
McGuinness, Northern Ireland's deputy
first minister, said there was an
"embittered rump of the old RUC (Royal
Ulster Constabulary" within the !"NI
that was tryin# to settle old scores$
%e spo&e at the un'eilin# of a mural in
(elfast of )dams, who is spendin# his
fourth day in police custody in
connection with the murder of mother*of*
+, -ean McCon'ille in +./0$
Mr McGuinness told the cheerin# crowd that )dams' arrest was desi#ned to
affect "inn 1ein ahead of local and 2uropean elections$%e said3
"No police force anywhere in the world is immune from criticism if it is
actin# in a politically biased and partisan fashion$
"4he arrest of Gerry )dams is e'idence of that fact that there is an element
in the !"NI who are a#ainst the peace process and hate Gerry )dams and
hate "inn 1ein$
olsnhde)
"
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"4hey are what the reformers within the !"NI ha'e described to us as the
'5ar& "ide'$"
*+tension to ,uestionin$
6n 1riday, a 7ud#e allowed the !"NI a further 89 hours to hold the "inn 1ein
president at )ntrim police station$ 4he republican party has warned it will
re'iew its support for the police if the 'eteran leader is char#ed$
Mr )dams, :;, 'ehemently denies alle#ations le'elled by former republican
collea#ues that he ordered -ean McCon'ille's murder and secret burial more
than 8, years a#o after she was wron#ly accused of passin# information to
the security forces$
"inn 1ein's decision to si#n up to support the police in 0,,/ was 'iewed as
a ma7or milestone in the peace process and prompted the return to
de'ol'ed rule at "tormont, with the republican party and the 5emocratic
Unionists enterin# #o'ernment to#ether$
Mr McGuinness added today that the !"NI was #uilty of "political policin#",
and usin# information that had been around for 8, years$
%e said3 "In my 'iew this is a failed attempt at the replay of the effort in
+./9 to char#e Gerry )dams with membership of the IR)$ 4hat case was
based on hearsay, #ossip and newspaper articles$ It failed then and it will
fail now$
"4hirty si< years later those within the !"NI who are hostile to the peace
process are usin# the same old dirty tric&s$ 4hey are deliberately and
cynically e<ploitin# the awful &illin# of -ean McCon'ille and the #rief and
hurt inflicted on her family$"
Dra$$e screamin$ from flat
Mrs McCon'ille was dra##ed screamin# from her children in the 5i'is flats
in west (elfast by a #an# of up to +0 men and women after bein# wron#ly
accused of informin# to the security forces$
"he was interro#ated, shot in the bac& of the head and then secretly buried
* becomin# one of the "5isappeared" 'ictims of the 4roubles$
%er body was not found until 0,,= on a beach in Co >outh, ;, miles from
her home$
Mr )dams, a former M! for ?est (elfast and now an elected representati'e
for Co >outh in the Irish 5ail, 'oluntarily presented himself for inter'iew at
)ntrim !"NI station by prior arran#ement with detecti'es$
"tormont's 7ustice minister 5a'id 1ord said this mornin# that )dams' arrest
was "entirely appropriate"$
%e told the ((C's 4oday pro#ramme3 "It is normal practice if somebody is
li&ely to be arrested in the course of an in@uiry that they are arrested at the
start of discussions$"
4he 7ustice minister added3 "I don't &now whether Gerry )dams thou#ht he
was #oin# to turn up at )ntrim's serious crime suite, ha'e a wee chat for
half an hour and then #o off a#ain, but clearly on the scale of the concerns
e<pressed, of the information * which I entirely accept is not yet e'idence *
it was entirely appropriate that should be followed up in the normal way$
"4hose decisions are for the police, supported yesterday by an independent
7ud#e in e<tendin# the time for that in'esti#ation to continue$"