Police warn Kelly of death threat

Gerry Kelly has been told his life is in danger

The police have warned Sinn Fein's Gerry Kelly that dissident republicans plan to attack him in the near future.

Mr Kelly showed reporters an official warning he had received before heading into the first meeting of the Stormont sub-group on policing and justice.

"I think we have to take a threat like this as serious, but it is not going to distract me which is the important thing to say," he said.

"It is worrying for my family, but we will get on with the business."

Republican sources say threats to senior party members have come from disaffected IRA members who left the organisation in recent months.

Speaking on BBC Newsline's i-Generation webcast for young people last month, Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde said threats to the Sinn Fein leadership from dissident republicans were "very real".

Sir Hugh said the dissidents were "determined to wreck everything that has been achieved in Northern Ireland".

"The Sinn Fein leadership say their perception is the threat against them has increased - I don't think they're wrong," he said.