Freed loyalist paramilitary chief Johnny Adair is to be put under
round-the-clock surveillance, it emerged today.
As the convicted Ulster Freedom Fighters' boss cracked open specially labelled bottles of champagne to mark his release from jail, security sources confirmed plans to monitor his every movement.
One said: "We will be watching him like a hawk. Because of his behaviour you have to ask if he has changed."Adair was greeted by up to 300 loyalist supporters after being freed from Maghaberry jail near Lisburn, Co Antrim, where he was serving a sentence for directing terrorism.Dressed in a red and white T-shirt and jeans, with a baseball cap covering his shaven head, he raised a fist triumphantly as he emerged from a van outside the prison gates.All six members of the UFF-affiliated Ulster Defence Association's inner command were among those waving flags and cheering as they swarmed round him.Adair made no comment, but amid shouts of jubilation his close associate John White stressed Catholics should not be alarmed by his release."The nationalist community have nothing to fear from Johnny Adair," he said. "Johnny Adair will be a force for good within this province."The former chairman of the now disbanded Ulster Democratic Party also spoke of the anger felt by loyalists when the paramilitary leader was re-arrested.Adair was sent back to jail in the summer of 2000 during a fierce shooting war on the streets of Belfast which left several men dead.But Mr White declared: "They (loyalists) saw it as unfair and unjust because of the double standards. Leading republicans released under the Good Friday Agreement were involved in a pogrom against Protestants."Mr White hit out at Northern Ireland Secretary John Reid's decision to declare the UDA ceasefire broken, claiming the IRA's cessation was in tatters. But he said Adair would make a positive contribution to the peace process."I believe he will bring about opportunities for a peaceful resolution to many of the outstanding issues causing many of the problems in this province," he added.Adair was then swiftly bundled into the back of a car which sped off at the front of a cavalcade of cheering loyalists.He was driven straight to his wife and four children in the lower Shankill area of Belfast, a staunch UDA heartland. There a huge UFF banner draped across his street read: "Welcome Home Johnny."Supporters milled around outside Adair's house, while inside delighted friends and family popped the corks on champagne bottles specially plastered with his photos.Strangers were told to keep their distance from the celebrations.Adair's return to the area came after serving just a third of his 16-year sentence.He was released early under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement, but his involvement in the bitter loyalist feud led former Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Mandelson to tear up his licence.Worried security chiefs pointed out they now face new problems."We haven't got the same grip on him this time because he has served his sentence," one said. "The next time we have to catch him fresh and put him through the courts."Meanwhile, Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams said he had "mixed views" about Adair's release.The West Belfast MP, who is campaigning in Dublin for the Irish General Election, commented: "There is a lot of sectarian action coming from loyalists."A senior member of Sinn Féin is in the intensive care unit in a Belfast hospital at this time having been beaten up by the police a night or two ago while he was trying to calm the situation."I just hope that the Adair release does not make the difficulties in the peace process any worse."
PA