From the Irish Law & Democracy Committee
A former republican prisoner and brother of Irish protest singer Pól MacAdaim became the latest target of the Historical Enquiries Team. Gary McAdam was arrested on Thursday 29th March, by the heavily armed PSNI HMSU (Headquarters Mobile Support Unit) in what was described as an over the top arrest operation, whilst coming from a relatives funeral. Eyewitnesses told ILDC that “two car loads of heavily armed PSNI officers surrounded the man and a younger male at gunpoint and arrested him, after pulling him and the younger male over in a car.” At first the identity of the individual was not know to the eyewitness but it soon came to light that it was Gary McAdam.
The offences that Gary McAdam was arrested for dates back to 1986 and it would appear that there is some element of selective arrest in these circumstances. HET is selecting individuals for arrest on legacy offences, purely on the grounds of their current political opinion, this appears to be another instance of such a policy. It is widely known that HET is made up of former members of RUC Special Branch who have been rehired as civilian operatives within the HET.
This policy is deeply worrying, reinventing and reinvigourating the political edge to policing that was so prevelant during the years of the conflict. Why are certain indivuals being sought when there are hundreds of legacy cases involving incidents from the conflict, when in a number of instances numerous others including state operatives were heavily involved in incidents during the conflict and are appear immune from investigation. Such a policy has all the hallmarks of selective Internment and must cease.
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