Gerry Adams tells London court he had no involvement whatsoever' in IRA bombings

"I was never a member of the IRA or its Army Council, and I never held any role or rank within the IRA. I repeat that I had no involvement whatsoever in the authorisation, planning or conduct of any of the bombings."

"I had no involvement in any way in the planning, preparation or conduct of any of the bombings, and have never been a senior, let alone most senior figure, in the IRA. I had no involvement in or advance knowledge of the Old Bailey bombing (1973), the Canary Wharf bombing (1996) or the Manchester bombing (1996)."

"He also told the court that while he did not distance himself from the Provisional IRA, he was glad the organisation had left the stage and that there were dastardly things that were done that should never have been done."

Gerry Adams, former Sinn Féin president, testified in the High Court denying any involvement in Provisional IRA bombings in England. Three bombing victims from the 1970s and 1990s—John Clark (Old Bailey 1973), Jonathan Ganesh (Docklands 1996), and Barry Laycock (Arndale 1996)—brought legal claims alleging Adams was a senior IRA member, including on its Army Council, seeking £1 million in damages. Adams stated in his 20-page witness statement that he was never an IRA member, held no role within the organization, and had no involvement in planning, preparation, or conducting any of the bombings. He emphasized that Sinn Féin membership does not equate to IRA membership and has never been charged with offenses related to these incidents.

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