Adams outraged at ‘unfounded’ link with robbery
Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams has reacted with outrage at suggestions that the IRA – and by implication Sinn Fein – may have been involved in the £22 million bank robbery in Northern Ireland.
There have been rumours that IRA militants might have been behind the operation.
Last night, the deputy leader of the Democrat Unionist Party, Peter Robinson, called on the police to comment publicly on the possibility. He said: “The IRA could not have carried out a crime of the magnitude of the Northern Bank robbery without the sanction of its so-called army council. Everyone knows that the Army Council contains within its ranks senior members of Sinn Fein.”
These comments have outraged Mr Adams, who today said he would not “countenance any attempt by the DUP, or by anyone else, to demonise and criminalise this party.”
He called on the two governments to “think long and hard about whose agenda is being served by accusations, mainly from the DUP, attacking Sinn Fein and seeking to link our party to allegations of IRA involvement in the Northern Bank robbery.
“From the beginning I held the view that the IRA was not involved in that robbery. The IRA has said it wasn’t involved. I believe that to be the case.”
And he accused those British “securocrats” of a “brazen attempt to undermine the peace process”. Mr Adams claimed that recent searches of republican homes had been designed to smear the party, not find the criminals.
Earlier, Prime Minister Tony Blair said that there was “absolutely no place” for criminal activity of any kind by those associated with political parties involved in the Northern Ireland peace process.
Commenting on the allegations at his monthly press conference, Mr Blair said: “We have to wait for the authorities to make their judgement on this.”
However, he stated that “there can be absolutely no place” for paramilitary activity or “criminal activity of any sort” by people involved in, or associated with the political parties that were involved in, the peace process.
The demand for an end to paramilitary activity also called for “a complete prohibition on criminal activity as well.”
Northern Ireland police chiefs are meeting tomorrow to discuss progress on the investigation into the raids.
