Murder 'may have been homophobic'

Police revisited the scene of last week's shooting

A man murdered in Armagh last week may have been killed because of his sexuality, police have said.

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

Detective Superintendent Derek Williamson said a homophobic motive for the attack was one line of inquiry.

Police are also looking at the possibility he was killed by dissident republicans, with whom he was linked.

"I am following a number of key lines of inquiry in this murder which will incorporate Mr Conlon's possible connections with paramilitary organisations and also allegations of involvement in criminal activity," Mr Williamson said.

"One other line of inquiry surrounds Mr Conlon's sexuality and the possibility that there may be a homophobic motive.

"I would therefore ask that anyone with information about Mr Conlon's life and associations, including those within the gay community, also come forward and tell police what they know.

"I cannot rule out the possibility that any of these motives are what led to his brutal murder."

Reconstruction

Mr Conlon 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.

Detectives returned to the scene of the shooting on Monday to stage a partial reconstruction in a bid to piece together the circumstances surrounding the murder and identify new witnesses.

Police have appealed for anyone who was in the areas of either Greenpark, Farnaloy Road or Madden Road last Monday between 1700 GMT and 1900 GMT to come forward.