London - Michael Stone, one of the most notorious figures among former Protestant paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland, was found guilty by a Belfast court Friday of the attempted murder of Sinn Fein leaders Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness. Stone, 53, made his attempt to "slit the throats" of the two senior Republican leaders when he stormed the Stormont regional parliament in Belfast in November 2006, the court heard.
"I am satisfied that Mr Stone went to Stormont to try and murder the two Sinn Fein leaders on November, 2006," said the presiding judge at Belfast Crown Court.
As well as the two attempted murder charges, he was convicted on seven other counts, including possession of nail bombs, three knives, a garrotte and an axe, as well as causing criminal damage to the parliament building.
The court heard how Stone pointed an imitation gun at a female security guard and ignited an improvised explosive device in a bag, which failed to explode. The bag had contained fireworks, flammable liquids, a butane gas canister and fuses.
He was found to have seven nail bombs which the court heard were capable of causing death or serious injury to anyone in their vicinity.
Once inside the chamber, it had been Stone's intention to apply "close-quarter tactics," meaning cutting his victims' throats, the court heard.
Stone, a former member of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) paramilitary organization, will be sentenced at a later date.
He was released early from jail eight years ago under the terms of the 1998 Northern Ireland Peace Agreement, but is now likely to face a lifetime in prison.
Stone gained notoriety in 1988 when he killed three mourners at a funeral in Belfast of members of the nationalist Irish Republican Army (IRA) who had been shot dead by Britain's SAS elite force in Gibraltar.
McGuinness, one of the men targeted by Stone, is now deputy leader of the power-sharing government of Northern Ireland while Adams remains president of Sinn Fein.
The attack took place on the day McGuinness and former Protestant first minister Ian Paisley were due to be nominated as Northern Ireland's new government leaders.
The court dismissed as "wholly undeserved of belief" Stone's claim that his attempt to force entry into parliament was part of an elaborate "performance art" display and the items he carried were "props."
The judge said that defence evidence that Stone had been taking part in some sort of "comic parody" was "hopelessly unconvincing."
Even if Stone was acting, that was no justification for criminal behaviour.
Stone had not merely prepared the explosive devices, but had "stepped over a line by entering the building and igniting the bag which was a necessary part of his plan to kill Sinn Fein leaders," the judge said.
Stone, whose dramatic action highlighted to many the bitter animosity that persists despite the peace process, shouted after the verdict was read out: "It is another concession to the Shinners (Sinn Fein)."
