Regency Hotel murderers must be brought to justice

GERRY ADAMS has said tackling crime will be a priority for a Sinn Féin-led Government and his party plans to recruit 3,000 more gardaí and reopen the 140 Garda stations closed down by Fine Gael – which prides itself as the 'law and order' party.

The Sinn Féin leader's comments follow news reports on Monday that a group calling itself the “Continuity IRA” has claimed to the BBC responsibility for a fatal gun attack in the Regency Hotel in Dublin last week.

While An Garda Síochána was investigating the statement, it was said to be treating the claim with some scepticism.

Gerry Adams said:

“They are not the IRA – the IRA are gone and their weapons are gone.”

“Our overriding aim is to ensure criminal thugs have nowhere to run and nowhere to hide”, he said. “They need to be brought to justice, be subject to the full rigour of the law and put behind bars where they belong.That is our priority.”

Meanwhile, at a press conference in the Gresham Hotel in Dublin, Pearse Doherty TD said he knows many of the staff in the hotel as he often stays there while in Dublin during Dáil sitting weeks.

“I'm staying there tonight as it happens,” he said.

The Sinn Féin Finance spokesperson said many Sinn Féin representatives are living under death threats for their uncompromising opposition to these gangs who are masquerading as republicans.

He noted that Sinn Féin activist Frank McCabe Jnr lost an eye in a bomb attack last year carried out by a similar criminal gang.

The Donegal TD criticised commentary which suggested that a non–jury Special Criminal Court is needed to deal with such violent criminality:

“Clearly, the non-jury Special Criminal Court did not act as a deterrent to those who were intent on carrying out this horrific attack,” he said.