Overview
- Gerry Adams told the High Court he was never in the Provisional IRA or its Army Council and had no involvement whatsoever in the 1973 and 1996 bombings.
- The claimants, injured in the Old Bailey, Docklands, and Manchester attacks, seek £1 in vindicatory damages and argue he was directly responsible through alleged leadership roles.
- A recorded interview from Brendan Hughes was played in court describing Adams as a “major, major player,” which Adams rejected while emphasizing his Sinn Féin political role.
- Witnesses including journalist John Ware and retired Brigadier Ian Liles testified that sources and intelligence pointed to Adams as a senior strategist whose approval was required for mainland attacks, though Ware accepted he had no first-hand knowledge of the three bombings.
- The defense argues the claims are time-barred and rest on hearsay without contemporaneous documents or forensic evidence, with judgment expected in writing after the trial concludes later in March.