Adair strikes back at his opponents

The latest loyalist feud simmered ominously in Northern Ireland yesterday as Johnny "Mad Dog" Adair squared up to his opponents within the paramilitary Ulster Defence Association.

A statement assumed to have been issued with his approval called on three senior UDA commanders to resign or face "military action", which everyone regards as a death threat.

Adair's west Belfast UDA brigade issued a further statement in support of him, saying its "brigade staff, officers and volunteers" were fully behind him. Another smaller branch, the North Down brigade, issued a similar message.

This followed Wednesday's announcement from most of the rest of the UDA, which after a secret meeting accused Adair of being in league with another paramilitary group, the Loyalist Volunteer Force. It declared: "As a result of ongoing investigations the present brigadier of west Belfast is no longer acceptable in our organisation."

West Belfast UDA said in response yesterday: "West Belfast UDA stay united and now challenge those who are behind this clandestine meeting to explain why this statement was issued in such a secretive way without west Belfast and a proper debate involving all representatives of the UDA."

Adair associate John White added: "This was a bolt out of the blue. The reaction from west Belfast is that this was a brigadiers' meeting on a very important issue, and yet west Belfast wasn't represented."

It emerged yesterday that police have warned at least two UDA figures of information that their lives were at risk. This is seen as formal acknowledgement of what is already obvious: that the UDA is set for a dangerous period in which leaders of its rival factions will launch violent strikes against each other.

Another associate, UDA north Belfast brigadier Andre Shoukri, unsuccessfully applied for bail in Belfast yesterday and was put back in custody on a charge of having a gun with intent to endanger life.