Published Thursday, 26 May 2011
It is understood a telephone warning was made to the Sinn Féin office in North Belfast on Thursday, by a group calling itself the Orange Volunteers.
The caller threatened to shoot the three party representatives and claimed to have left bombs at their family homes and at Sinn Féin offices.
Carál Ní Chuilín has blamed those highlighting the appointment of convicted killer Mary McArdle to a top Stormont post for creating the right circumstances for such threats to be made.
"I have every confidence in Mary McArdle and Sinn Féin will not allow ourselves to be intimidated either by direct threats or by people creating conditions in which these types of threats are made," the Culture Minister said.
"In the recent elections we received an increased mandate to continue with our work representing citizens and delivering change. That will remain our focus."
Mary McArdle was part of the IRA gang that shot dead 22-year-old magistrate's daughter Mary Travers, as she left Sunday Mass at a south Belfast church in April 1984.
At a press conference on Thursday, Gerry Kelly said that he would be willing to meet with Ann Travers, the victim's sister.
Ms McArdle's appointment as a ministerial advisor has prompted disgust from the victim's family and from unionist politicians.
The SDLP's Alban Maginness has branded it "grossly inappropriate and insensitive".
But Ms Ní Chuilín has accused those expressing their opposition of waging a "campaign" against Sinn Féin and said they "cannot divorce themselves" from the threats.
"And I am very concerned that Alban Maginness has joined the likes of Jim Allister in this attempted vilification of Sinn Féin," she added.
On Wednesday, Gerry Kelly defended the role of former prisoners in political progress and the ongoing peace process.
"Almost half our Assembly team are former political prisoners," he said.
"Many more ex-prisoners have played critical and positive roles in bringing the political process to where it is now and will continue to do so."