Civil case against Gerry Adams over IRA bombings withdrawn

A civil case against Gerry Adams over three IRA bombings in Britain has been withdrawn. A lawyer for the three claimants said on Friday that proceedings would be "discontinued" with "no order as to costs". The victims who brought the case alleged that Adams, 77, was personally liable for injuries they received in IRA attacks in London and Manchester in 1973 and 1996. The former Sinn Féin leader had insisted he had no role in the explosions and has strongly denied a claim that he was a "major player" in the IRA. Anne Studd KC, for the victims, told the High Court that the development was "related" to an argument around "abuse of process". At the end of the proceedings, the lawyer said that given the level of public interest in the trial, she wanted to set out the reasons for the decision. But the judge said the court was not "an opportunity for a public statement". In a statement, he said he "welcomed the decision" and attended the case "out of respect" for the claimants. The trial concluded after nine days of hearings before Mr Justice Swift at the High Court in London. Adams' lawyers had argued the case was based on "an assortment of hearsay" and that it had been brought several d