SF's Alex Maskey says British authorities tried to assassinate him

Sinn Fein’s Alex Maskey has applied for access to British government and RUC documents which he claims will show that the British government tried to assassinate him.

Loyalist paramilitaries tried to murder Mr Maskey twice in 1987 and 1988, seriously injuring him in the first attack.

A paid British spy, Brian Nelson, who was also a member of the UDA, was later convicted of conspiracy to murder in connection with the second attack.

Mr Maskey believes that these murder attempts were organised by the British government.

The Sinn Fein politician has applied for disclosure of official RUC and British Ministry of Defence documents which, he claims, will prove that there was official involvement in the attacks against him.

He has also claimed that senior British politicians were aware of the activities of the British army and RUC in targeting republicans using loyalist paramilitaries as assassins.

Mr Maskey said the recent revelations in the case of murdered solicitor Pat Finucane show that the RUC ignored advance warnings of the shooting and failed to prevent it.