Sinn Fein chief Adams denies he approved killing of IRA spy

Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams slammed shocking new claims he authorised the killing of a former British spy Denis Donaldson a decade ago.

Denis Donaldson was found shot dead inside his cottage near Glenties in Co.

Fresh claims in a BBC Spotlight programme emerged on Tuesday night, including the testimony for a man claiming to be a former IRA member recruited by RUC Special Branch. “For me they have no credibility whatsoever”.

Speaking at the National Ploughing Championships this morning, Mr Howlin said: “I don’t think there is a child in Ireland who believes that”.

Mr Donaldson was killed in Co Donegal shortly after he publicly revealed he was a British agent, a move which led to the collapse of the institutions in Stormont.

The most explosive was that Mr Adams sanctioned the killing of Mr Donaldson.

Martin claimed that murders had to be approved by the political and military leadership of the IRA which meant Mr Adams.

Gerry Adams denies he was consulted on what he calls an alleged IRA army council decision or that he had any final say in the matter being sanctioned.

Before that Donaldson was a senior IRA member.

The BBC programme said it tried to contact Murphy’s representatives to put the claims to him but received no reply.

Sinn Fein’s Mr McGuinness branded the allegation against his party colleague “total rubbish”.

“And I think the fact that dissident republicans claimed responsibility for this and it appears for the last 10 years the Garda Siochana in Donegal have been investigating that line of inquiry I think gives total nonsense to the allegation that was made principally by someone who appears to be a paid agent, and I use the word “agent” in inverted commas”.

Mr Adams’s party colleague Gerry Kelly dismissed the documentary as a “collection of discredited conspiracy theories”.

Sinn Féin has rejected the claims and says the makers of the programme have no regard for the victim’s family.