  The highest energies of solar energetic nucleons detected in space or through
gamma-ray emission in the solar atmosphere are in the GeV range. Where and how
the particles are accelerated is still controversial. We search for
observational information on the location and nature of the acceleration
region(s) by comparing the timing of relativistic protons detected on Earth and
radiative signatures in the solar atmosphere during the particularly
well-observed 2005 Jan. 20 event. This investigation focuses on the
post-impulsive flare phase, where a second peak was observed in the
relativistic proton time profile by neutron monitors. This time profile is
compared in detail with UV imaging and radio spectrography over a broad
frequency band from the low corona to interplanetary space. It is shown that
the late relativistic proton release to interplanetary space was accompanied by
a distinct new episode of energy release and electron acceleration in the
corona traced by the radio emission and by brightenings of UV kernels. These
signatures are interpreted in terms of magnetic restructuring in the corona
after the coronal mass ejection passage. We attribute the delayed relativistic
proton acceleration to magnetic reconnection and possibly to turbulence in
large-scale coronal loops. While Type II radio emission was observed in the
high corona, no evidence of a temporal relationship with the relativistic
proton acceleration was found.
