Sinn Féin Leas Uachtarán Michelle O’Neill said tonight she has requested an urgent meeting with the Chief Constable to discuss the arrest of a man, shot and wounded in the 1992 Sean Graham Bookies Massacre, at a wreath laying ceremony to mark the anniversary.

Michelle O’Neill said:

“I have requested an urgent meeting with the Chief Constable of the PSNI to discuss the response to the awful scenes in Belfast today at the arrest of a man who was shot in the Sean Graham Bookies Massacre.

“The man was arrested at an event to commemorate the 29th anniversary of the Massacre, in which five people including a child were killed by loyalist gunmen using weapons brought into Ireland by a British agent.

“The arrest by the PSNI of this man who was at a wreath laying ceremony attended by family members of those killed has caused unprecedented anger and distress across the community.

“The PSNI’s response tonight is inadequate. It further adds insult to injury to the families of the victims who have been waiting almost three decades for truth about the deaths of their loved ones.

“I have also contacted the families and am seeking to meet with them as soon as possible.

“The Chief Constable needs to understand the damage that the actions of his officers today has had on community confidence in policing.

“This standard of policing is not acceptable and should not be acceptable to any section of this community.”