7 August 2003 Edition
Butler attack bears hallmarks of collusion
Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams has said there are serious concerns about collusion in the attempted bomb attack on the home of party councillor Paul Butler on Monday night 4 August. A highly flammable device was thrown from a passing car at the house Butler shares with his partner and three children.
Accusing the PSNI of colluding with the bombers, Adams said: "Paul Butler's home is overlooked by a number of spy cameras operated by the PSNI. The PSNI have said that if the cameras were not recording, then PSNI personnel were observing them. This means that the PSNI either recorded the attack or witnessed the attack and took no action.
"They then informed the media that what was clearly a highly flammable device was a hoax.
"In addition to this, after the forensic team left the Butler home yesterday, Tuesday 5 August, parts of the device and a roll of tape, possibly used in the assembly of the bomb, were found nearby. It is clear that the examination of the scene was seriously flawed and has ensured that potentially crucial evidence was not retrieved.
"These are classic symptoms of collusion - loyalists being allowed to move with impunity past security installations and into the heart of republican districts, false spins given to the media and the follow up investigation carried out in such an indifferent manner as to render any convictions unlikely.
"This fits into the pattern of investigation outlined by PSNI detective Roy Suitters recently when he admitted failing to arrest those responsible for the killing of Gerard Lawlor".
Butler, who serves on Lisburn City Council, blamed unionist paramilitaries who were responding to Sinn Féin's ongoing efforts in highlighting sectarian attacks in Lisburn and Dunmurry. "While these attacks are clearly very worrying for my family, I will not be deterred from continuing in my work in Lagan Valley," he said.
In February, Butler received a card with a bullet inside threatening his life and recently graffiti has appeared about him around the Dunmurry area.