Updated

Northern Ireland prosecutors say Sinn Fein party leader Gerry Adams and six other suspected IRA veterans will face no charges over the outlawed group's 1972 abduction, slaying and secret burial of a Belfast mother.

The 66-year-old Adams was arrested last year on suspicion of involvement in the disappearance of Jean McConville. The Irish Republican Army killed the 38-year-old for allegedly spying for British forces. Detectives freed Adams without charge after four days of questioning, but sent an evidence file to prosecutors for their assessment.

Northern Ireland's deputy director of public prosecutions, Pamela Atchison, announced Tuesday that Adams and six others arrested in the McConville probe would face no charges. Atchison said evidence was "insufficient to provide a reasonable prospect of obtaining a conviction against any of them."