Adams condemns McCartney threats
Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams has condemned “unequivocally” any threats made against the family of murdered Belfast man Robert McCartney.
It comes after the family was told of a threat to burn them out of their houses.
Campaigning sisters Catherine and Paula believe the threat, which police said had come from “criminal elements”, originates from within the republican movement.
But Mr Adams said: “I am confident that there are no threats to this family from republicans.”
McCartney, 33, was stabbed outside a Belfast pub in January. His sisters have blamed the IRA and have sought international help for their campaign to bring his killers to justice.
Earlier this week they secured funding from the European parliament for a civil case against the murderers should the criminal case, in which no charges have yet been brought, fail.
The McCartneys blame a lack of trust in the police and intimidation for the lack of progress, despite both Sinn Fein and the IRA’s expressions of support.
“For the past three months, we have been asking the republican movement to stop protecting the criminals who murdered Robert that night,” said Catherine McCartney.
“And now today after our campaign, we get a threat saying our houses are going to be burned down.
“I’m not frightened for myself personally but I have four children here from 13-year-olds down, so I have to take it seriously for them.”
Gerry Adams said Sinn Fein was “totally behind” the sisters’ objective of brining the men responsible to account.
But he was critical of police handling of the investigation: “I have been told that key eye witness testimony has been given to the PSNI identifying those involved in the assault in the street in which Robert McCartney was murdered. In any other high profile murder case, in any other city, I’m sure matters would have been investigated more thoroughly and with more urgency.”
A sandwich shop owned by one of the sisters, Donna, is one of the targets threatened, although police did not have specific details.
However, Paula McCartney said the family would continue their fight to bring their brother’s killers to court, a fight which has already taken them to seek support in Washington.
“Nobody will intimidate us. We will not rest until the murderers of Robert are brought before a court of law,” she said.
Speaking of the threat, she added: “They obviously feel that some developments are going to happen if we do get the civil action up and running and somehow they feel under threat.”
