Children saw gun victim abducted

Victim was found near Keady in south Armagh

Three children under the age of 10 witnessed the abduction of a man murdered in south Armagh on Monday.

Martin Conlon, 35, from Railway Street in Armagh city, was found with gunshot wounds at Farnaloy Road close to the Madden estate outside Keady.

Two men used a stun gun to subdue Mr Conlon and take him from a friend's house at Green Park Crest on Monaghan Road outside Armagh, police said.

He was bundled into his own car and driven to the spot where he was killed.

Police are appealing for anyone with any information about the movements of the car, a silver Volkswagen Passat, to contact them.

They have said it is too early to speculate who was responsible for the murder.

Mr Conlon was found at about 1830 GMT on Monday and was pronounced dead in hospital a short time later.

It has been speculated that he was killed by dissident republicans with whom he was linked.

He was released recently from prison in the Republic of Ireland where he had served a four year sentence after being arrested at a Real IRA training camp.

After the killing, police recovered two cars for examination, one of them belonged to the victim.

It was found about a mile and a half from where he was found, the other in Armagh city.

Appeal

A number of people are understood to have stopped to help the dying man and police would like to speak to them.

Parish priest Father John Gates said it was a very difficult time for Mr Conlon's family.

"They are obviously devastated at the loss of a son and a brother," he said.

"Losing him in such circumstances, being dumped at the side of the road, we thought we had left those days behind us, I think that has just added to the sense of loss and the shock the family is experiencing."