RIRA group denies Quinn murder link

11/14/2007 -

Mr Quinn, 21, was beaten to death by a masked gang after being lured to a remote farmhouse in Co Monaghan. In the immediate aftermath of the murder, his family blamed the Provisional IRA and claimed that the victim had become involved in disputes with, and been threatened by, individuals with links to the organisation in the weeks before his death.

Now, however, a spokesman for the south Armagh branch of the 32 County Sovereignty Movement has alleged that what he described as a whispering campaign is trying to link groups opposed to the Good Friday Agreement to the killing. Rejecting the suggestion, the spokesman “categorically denied any republican involvement in this crime”.

“The attempt to apportion blame to anti-Agreement republicanism is nothing more than a pathetic attempt to deflect attention from the real perpetrators and an attempt to sully the name of republican separatism,” he insisted.

“Thankfully, the people of Cullyhanna and the surrounding areas are aware of the truth behind these baseless rumours.” Those behind the murder have nothing in common with south Armagh’s “noble tradition as a place of resistance to English law”, the spokesman added. “Whatever law they thought they were upholding, it was certainly not republican law or the will of the people,” he stated.

Meanwhile, the SDLP’s Newry and Armagh MLA Dominic Bradley has rejected criticism of the investigation into Mr Quinn’s murder from his Ulster Unionist counterpart Danny Kennedy.

Mr Kennedy had expressed concern after Gardaí were allowed to carry out enquiries in the Cullyhanna area, claiming that the development would undermine the authority of the PSNI.

According to Mr Bradley, the decision to allow Garda officers to cross the border was good practice and evidence of close co-operation between the two police forces.

“It is disingenuous of Mr Kennedy to make these comments in the midst of this very serious investigation,” he commented. “The priority for all politicians at this particular time should be the apprehension of those responsible for Paul Quinn’s murder and not petty political point scoring.

“What Mr Kennedy should be doing is encouraging the public to co-operate fully with the investigation by bringing any information which may be of use to the enquiry to either the Gardaí or the PSNI. It is ironic that only a few weeks ago, Mr Kennedy was calling for hot pursuit by the PSNI across the border. These two issues are closely related and he can’t have it both ways.”