Taoiseach calls on Adams to comment on guns used in hotel attack
Sinn Féin deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald has said that those behind Friday's killing of David Byrne must be brought to Justice.
“There is absolutely no doubt that the viciousness and the brazen nature of the murder by that gang on Friday show just how brazen these characters are,” she said.
“These people need to be apprehended, they need to be brought before the courts, they need to be locked up and society needs to be shielded and protected from them.”
She repeated her party's stance that the non-jury Special Criminal Court needs to be scrapped.
Sinn Féin Finance spokesman Pearse Doherty has said that any attempt to link his party to the Regency Hotel shooting is nothing more than political point-scoring.
“The IRA is gone,” he said.
“The arms have been put beyond use many, many years ago – that has been overseen by General John de Chastelain, and what we need now is a proper response to make sure that the authorities have the skills, have the manpower, have the resources to deal with these gangs and other gangs that are a blight on our community.”
Taoiseach Enda Kenny has called on Gerry Adams to provide any details he may have on the guns used in Friday’s hotel attack.
Speaking at Fine Gael headquarters this morning Mr Kenny said the AK47s used in the attack at the Regency Hotel in Drumcondra on Friday were “very similar if not the same” as those that were brought in by the Provisional IRA in the 1970s and 1980s .
It comes as Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald confirmed that the second Special Criminal Court will be operational by April 4.
David Byrne, 33, was shot dead when six gunmen entered the hotel where a boxing weigh-in event was being held.
Gardaí now believe that at least two of the attackers may have travelled from abroad to carry out the murder.
Mr Kenny said: “I am interested to hear the media comment that the AK47s may well be very similar if not of the same cargo that came in from abroad with the provisional IRA a number of years ago.
“It might be interesting to hear the Sinn Féin president comment on this, because if that’s a fact it’s absolutely hypocritical to go talking about the abolition of the Special Criminal Court, when we know from judges in the past of the gross intimidation, the gross intimidation of juries and witnesses.
“The reports are that they are similar or part of that, and if that’s the case then an appropriate statement from the President of Sinn Féin should be made immediately.”
One of the key proposals brought forward by Sinn Féin is the abolition of the non-jury court, which was set up to deal with terrorism and serious organised crime.
“I think there is another question that needs to be answered here and that is I see the president of Sinn Féin calling for the abolition of the Special Criminal Court, understand this now we have set out the administrative functions of setting up the second Special Criminal Court on April 4, and that will become automatic,” Mr Kenny said.
“I don’t want to see a situation where we now have dissident groups or paramilitary groups, or gangland groups – and gangland does exist – being able to carry out this appalling set of actions that they have had here.”
Mr Kenny said that gardaí have “the full backing of the Government in terms of the very dangerous job that they have to do now and whatever resources they need they are going to get”.
Tánaiste Joan Burton also questioned Sinn Féin’s proposals to abolish the Special Criminal Court.
Speaking at a Labour Party briefing, Ms Burton told the media that Deputy Adams needed “a reality check” with regards to his proposals to abolish the Special Criminal Court.
To suggest such a move was “folly” and smacked of “arrogance”, she added.
