A LEADING loyalist politician claimed yesterday he had been warned earlier this month that an attempt on his life had been threatened by dissident UVF members in Portadown.
The Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) official, Mr Billy Hutchinson, told a Belfast evening newspaper that he was informed of the threat on August 2nd.
He challenged unionist leaders to condemn the death threat as forthrightly as they had denounced the ultimatum delivered by the Combined Loyalist Military Command to the Portadown loyalist, Mr Billy Wright.
Mr Wright was given 72 hours to leave the country or face "summary justice". The ultimatum deadline expires at midnight tonight.
The DUP deputy leader, Mr Peter Robinson, has written to the Northern Secretary, Sir Patrick Mayhew, urging him to expel the fringe loyalist parties from the Stormont talks.
