Remains may be IRA murder victim

The first search for the remains of Danny McElhone in Wicklow in 1999

Partial remains discovered during a search in County Wicklow may be those of a Belfast man abducted by the IRA.

Danny McIlhone, 19, from the west of the city, went missing in 1981.

However, it was not until 1999 that the IRA claimed responsibility for his death. DNA tests on the remains, found on Saturday, are being carried out.

"Mr McIlhone's family have been informed of the find and are being kept up to date," said BBC NI home affairs correspondent Vincent Kearney.

The search in the Ballynultagh area was being carried out on behalf of the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains, which liaises with families of the so-called Disappeared.

There have been two unsuccessful searches - in 1999 and 2000 - for Danny McIlhone's remains.

In a statement nine years ago, the IRA said Mr McIlhone was not suspected of being an informer but was being questioned about stealing IRA weapons.

It was claimed that he was killed in a struggle with the person who was guarding him.