03/05/2014 BBC Newsline

Good evening. Several hundred people have taken part in a rally on the

Falls Road in West Belfast in support of Gerry Adams. The Sinn

Fein President is still being questioned at Antrim Police Station

about the abduction and murder of Jean McConville in 1972. He has

denied involvement in the IRA killing. Mervyn Jess reports.

Martin McGuinness got a rousing reception when he arrived at the

Martin McGuinness got a rousing Gerry Adams supporters' rally in

West Belfast this afternoon. No police force anywhere in the world

is immune from criticism if it is acting in a partisan fashion. The

arrest of Gerry Adams is evidence of that fact, that there is an element

within the PSNI who are against the peace process and who hate Gerry

Adams and hate Sinn Fein. They are what the reformers of the PSNI have

described to us as the dark side. Earlier, the Justice Minister

responded to claims of political interference in policing here. The

police have a duty to investigate any evidential opportunity and they

believe there is evidence they have to follow through on and they should

do that, whether it is somebody from a Unionist, Republican or any

background. One of the most senior republicans in Belfast told the

crowd while Sinn Fein's leader had been arrested, it wouldn't stop the

party vigorously contesting the upcoming elections. We have a

message for the British government, the Irish government. We haven't

gone away, you know. Is the arrest of Gerry Adams

gone away, you know. Is the arrest the peace process

gone away, you know. Is the arrest collapse? The peace process is no

jeopardy. The peace process is strong and we are proud of it and we

are determined it will continue. And the policing issue? Several hundred

people have turned out in support of Gerry Adams and the main speaker has

made clear that they continue to assert there is political

interference in policing but that there is no threat immediately to

the peace process. A man has appeared in court charged with

having 2.5 kilos of Semtex. A detective said it was the largest

amount of the explosive recovered here in the last ten years. Here's

our reporter, Julian Fowler. 47-year-old Thomas Hughes from the

New Lodge area of North Belfast is charged with having 2.5kg of Semtex

with intent to endanger life. A detective said the explosive had

been found on top of a water tank in an airing cupboard of his flat in

Maeve House last week. He described the Semtex as being about the size

of a house brick cut in two and was wrapped in cling film and tin foil.

The officer said Semtex was used solely by republican terrorists. The

detective said he believed the Semtex would be divided up to be

distributed to other terrorist cells to make improvised explosive

devices. Security sources say they believe the amount found could have

made up to 20 under booby-trap bombs. -- undercard. The court was

told that Thomas Hughes had an alcohol problem - an easy target for

someone wanting to use the flat - and it was claimed he had lost one

of his keys so that anyone could have had access to it. The defence

said his client was shocked and horrified when the Semtex was shown

to him and he said he came from a Republican background but was a

strong supporter of the peace process and was vehemently against

any dissident activity. The solicitor said Mr Hughes, who is

originally from Glasgow, had been frank and open with the police. He

had told them he did not stay in the flat but lived with his partner, who

was in the court. She waved and gave him the thumbs up as he was remanded

in custody. The district judge said it would be foolhardy to release Mr

Hughes on bail at this time. A rider has been killed at today's Tandragee

100 road races in County Armagh. He was Noel Murphy, who was in his late

20s and from Lusk in County Dublin. He crashed on the Cooley Hill Road

at around midday in the Junior Support race. No other competitor

was involved. The races resumed this afternoon on the wishes of Mr

Murphy's father and partner, who had been attending the event Let's get

the weather forecast for the rest of the Bank Holiday weekend. Here's

Geoff. There is more rain on the way and

after despite early in the night there is more rain arriving. It is

quite mild night with overnight lows of or 12 degrees. It does mean that

tomorrow has a dank, great start before some more rain arrives later

on. This is the picture, the rain take some time to clear away and

then we have refreshed by it through the middle of the day before more

rain arrives from the West later on. Top temperatures tomorrow of 14

degrees. We are in the soggy zone of weather across the UK and Ireland,

Northern Ireland and Scotland suffering the worst and England and

Wales has a decent afternoon. Particularly for southern England.

Nothing as good for us, I am afraid, as rain continues the afternoon and

evening and overnight lows of nine or 10 degrees. I would love to tell

you that things improve for bank holiday Monday but I'm afraid they

do not. This is the picture, it might be dry for the start of the

marathon in Belfast at nine o'clock but by the Finnish time, that rain

will be spreading towards all parts with top temperatures of 12 or 13

degrees. At least the garden will enjoy some of that rain, it is not

bank holiday weather for the rest of us. That's it for now. Newsline will

be back tomorrow evening at 6:50pm. You can keep up-to-date with local

news on BBC Radio Ulster or on our local online service. Have a good

evening.