Northern Ireland’s Gerry Adams in UK court for trial over IRA bombings
Adams has always denied being an IRA member, although he has long faced accusations that he was involved in its killing campaign
Former Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams appeared at London’s High Court on Monday for a civil lawsuit which aims to hold him liable for Irish Republican Army bombings in Britain, a case which could affect the prominent republican leader’s legacy.
Adams became Sinn Fein leader in 1983 when it was the IRA’s political wing, establishing himself as the face of the movement seeking to end British rule in Northern Ireland.
He later reinvented himself as a peacemaker after helping secure the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, which largely ended three decades of sectarian conflict known as the Troubles.
Adams has always denied being a member of the Provisional IRA (PIRA), though he has long faced accusations, including from members of the paramilitary group, that he was involved in its campaign of killings.
The 77-year-old is now being sued by some of those injured in three bombings: one at London’s Old Bailey court in 1973 and two 1996 blasts, targeting the British capital and Manchester.
The three claimants are seeking a nominal £1 (US$1.33) in damages and a finding that, on the balance of probabilities, Adams was a senior member of the IRA during Northern Ireland’s three decades of sectarian conflict known as the Troubles.