28.6.04

Sunday Life

'Cowards'

By Stephen Breen
28 June 2004

Like boxers before a title fight, UDA chiefs and Johnny Adair have been trading threats and insults ahead of the deposed warlord's release from jail in 2005. Stephen breen found adair eager to up the ante, and apparently hellbent on returning to the shankill.

"BRING it on" was Johnny Adair's defiant message, as he set about taunting UDA bosses Andre Shoukri, Jim Gray and Jackie McDonald.

Adair branded the trio "cowards", as he sneered at the latest threat from the UDA to kill him, in revenge for the killing of south east Antrim brigadier, John Gregg.

From inside his jail cell, the ousted Shankill UDA boss was chomping at the bit to respond to the threat, issued last week, by one of the UDA's senior brigadiers.

The terror boss had publicly warned Adair, that he would be hunted down and killed, if he didn't get the first flight out of Belfast on his release next year, saying: "Johnny, you're a dead man walking and, if you come to Belfast, you'll not be walking very far, or for very long."

Adair, who is now spending his time in the punishment block, at Maghaberry, following the closure of the women's wing, insisted he was going back to the Shankill Road, following his release.

And he goaded the UDA leaders by referring to the murder of John 'Grug' Gregg, and the attempted killing of Jim Gray, in east Belfast.

Said Adair: "Look what happened the last time these gangsters and double agents issued threats against me - one of the brigadiers ended up getting killed, and another (Jim Gray) was very lucky to remain alive.

"I would like to tell these so-called brigadiers, that actions speak louder than words, and I will not be intimidated by cowards, who are masquerading as loyalists - I'm still going home.

"The best terrorist organisation in the world, the Provies', tried to kill me on numerous occasions, and they failed, but not for lack of trying, so why should I be worried about these mafia mobsters?

"They want revenge for Grug, but they didn't even avenge the death of John McMichael or Ray Smallwoods.

"I've heard all this bravado before, and I'm not at all concerned about it.

"Talk is cheap - actions speak louder than words. I have said all along that I'm going home, and this is still what I intend to do."

Adair also claimed that he has had a number of "nasty" telephone exchanges with former pal, and suspected UDA double agent, Jim Spence, in recent weeks.


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