Police in Northern Ireland are to ask a judge to further the time at their disposal to question Gerry Adams, the president of the republican Sinn Fein party, over a 1972 murder, the region's deputy first minister said Friday. Announcing the move at a news conference, Martin McGuinness, who also belongs to Sinn Fein, said the arrest was "politically motivated" and "inextricably linked" to the upcoming local and European elections, dpa reported. Adams, 65, was detained late Wednesday after presenting himself voluntarily for questioning over his alleged involvement in the 1972 murder of Jean McConville, a widowed mother of 10. Police are allowed to detain suspects for questioning for 48 hours before applying to a judge for more time. McConville's murder was one of the most notorious to take place during the conflict in Northern Ireland, known as the Troubles. The 37-year-old was taken from her flat in the Northern Irish capital Belfast and shot by the terrorist Irish Republican Army (IRA) after they falsely accused her of being an informer for British security services. Her body was secretly buried on a beach in the Republic of Ireland and was not found until 2003. McGuinness, a former IRA commander, accused "very senior people" within the police of being opposed to the region's peace process and Sinn Fein, and of carrying out "political policing." A different approach had been taken with the murder of citizens by British security forces, who had enjoyed a "virtual amnesty" for 40 years, McGuinness continued. -- SPA 18:28 LOCAL TIME 15:28 GMT تغريد
