'Indication' of IRA murder link

The victim had been in a pub

The chief constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary has said there are indications the IRA, which is currently on ceasefire, was behind a pub murder last month.

Edmund McCoy, 28, died in hospital after being shot by two men in the Motte 'n' Bailey bar in Dunmurry, near Belfast at the end of May.

Sir Ronnie Flanagan has been under pressure to make a public statement after senior security sources told the BBC that the IRA was responsible for the murder.

The sources also told the BBC that the killing, in a mixed Catholic and Protestant area, was drugs-related.

Sir Ronnie Flanagan: Comment on murder

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Sir Ronnie said: "We certainly have not excluded the Provisional IRA and there are certain intelligence indications that that is the organisation responsible."

But he cautioned: "It is too soon to be definitive in any sense."

The RUC chief constable said he had briefed Secretary of State Peter Mandelson "on the circumstances" of the murder.

Consequences

Mr Mandelson has made it clear, that if any organisation on ceasefire was found to be involved in any murder, it would have a direct impact on his assessment of their ceasefire and therefore early prisoner releases under the Good Friday Agreement.

Ken Maginnis: Police are being forced to become pseudo politicians

But he has said he would need evidence, and not just intelligence to take action.

The shooting happened 24 hours after the Ulster Unionist ruling council voted by a narrow majority to return to government with Sinn Fein.

The RUC has said Mr McCoy had been "known to police".

'Police politicisation'

Ulster Unionist security spokesman Ken Maginnis has accused the government of forcing the RUC to let political considerations get in the way of its assessment of Mr McCoy's murder.

Speaking to BBC Radio Ulster he said it was "common knowledge" who was responsible for the murder and why it was carried out.

"I can understand if the chief constable doesn't want to say something that might inhibit a trial at some later stage, but I don't expect the chief constable and the command of the RUC to have to be politically conscious at every stage.

"Let them get on and deal with criminality and terrorism as a police force, not as pseudo politicians," he said.

Martin McGuinness: Flanagan comments are are attempt to stall change

But Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness said he was "absolutely satisfied" that the IRA ceasefire was still intact.

He said Sir Ronnie was trying to influence reform of the RUC.

"I see this as being a very clear effort by Ronnie Flanagan to influence the present situation. He wants to water down the changes to the RUC, he wants to stall the creation of a new policing service and he wants to save the RUC," he said.

'Letter hoax'

Meanwhile First Minister David Trimble and the Northern Ireland Office have dismissed an accusation by the Democratic Unionist Party's Ian Paisley Junior that he had obtained a confidential letter about the murder.

Ian Paisley jnr: IRA link deliberately suppressed

Mr Paisley said a letter written by the secretary of state to Mr Trimble suggested that information on an IRA-link to the murder had been deliberately supressed.

Mr Paisley said the letter said it would be "counterproductive" if information about the link between the shooting and the IRA, were to be made public at this time.

He said: "They've tried to keep silent on the murder of a man in Northern Ireland and they can't keep silent."

Sinn Fein exclusion attempt

Anti-agreement unionists, the DUP and NI Unionist Party are seeking the exclusion of Sinn Fein from the power-sharing executive but have yet to secure the signatures of 30 assembly members needed for a debate on the issue.

They have also been demanding Sinn Fein's exclusion since the BBC reported the possible involvement of the IRA in the shooting last week.

A spokesman for the NIO said there was no record of such a letter, which the BBC understands was type-written and unsigned, while First Minister David Trimble said it was a hoax.

The Ulster Unionist leader said it was a pity the DUP had issued a response to the letter without checking its authenticity.

But he did say he was concerned about Sir Ronnie's statement and said he hoped the chief constable would soon be able to make a "definitive" comment on who was involved.