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Inquest into Real IRA man's death No known motive for man's murder
(about 5 hours later)
An inquest into the death of a Real IRA man will get under way in Armagh later. An inquest into the death of a Real IRA man has heard police still do not know why he was killed.
Martin Conlon was found with gunshot wounds in the Keady area on 7 November 2005 after being abducted from a friend's home.Martin Conlon was found with gunshot wounds in the Keady area on 7 November 2005 after being abducted from a friend's home.
The 35-year-old had served time in jail in the Republic for running a Real IRA training camp. The 35-year-old had served time in jail in the Irish Republic for running a Real IRA training camp.
At the time of the murder, detectives said a homophobic motive was one line of inquiry. However, rival dissident republicans were subsequently blamed. On Thursday, senior detectives told the inquest into his death that police had examined several possible motives.
They said these ranged from the dead man's involvement with dissident republicanism to his sexuality, but that they had been unable to firmly establish why he was abducted and shot.
Detective Chief Superintendent Derek Williamson said one possible motive involved an extortion plan by a criminal gang.
Questioned further about this by Coroner John Lecky, Mr Williamson said that around the time of the murder it was known that several businesspeople in the Armagh area had received threatening letters, some containing bullets, in an attempt to extort money from them.
Threats
He said there was a suggestion that Mr Conlon may have been involved with the gang behind this and had been killed after falling out with them.
However, he said he was not in a position to confirm this.
He also revealed that, some months before the murder, Mr Conlon had received a threatening letter in the post.
It contained a bullet and purported to be from the LVF.
In July 2005, he was visited by the police and warned that "criminal elements" planned to take action against him.
Mr Williamson said both the RIRA and CIRA had denied involvement in the killing which happened at the time of a republican feud in the area.
Outside court, the dead man's mother said it had been a difficult and frustrating four years for the family and that they just wanted to get some closure.
Sally Conlon said: "I wish this had been a trial, not an inquest, we were attending today."
She appealed for anyone with any information about her son's murder to come forward.