Provos are blamed for man's vicious murder
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A 21-YEAR-old man who was brutally beaten to death in an outhouse near the Border was killed by members of the Provisional IRA, gardai believe.
Senior officers last night revealed that the savage attack on Paul Quinn, a truck driver from Annamar near Cullyhanna in south Armagh, was linked to two previous assaults.
But they think the IRA gang had not intended to kill Mr Quinn. "Their aim was to beat him up in retaliation for the injuries they claimed he had inflicted on a republican and, separately, on another republican's son, in recent incidents," one officer told the Irish Independent.
It was also alleged that the gang had issued a warning to Mr Quinn after the incidents, but he chose to ignore it.
The involvement of the IRA in the killing will be of major concern to the Government. Behind the scenes, officials are keeping a keen eye on developments in the investigation.
Sinn Fein is denying any IRA link to the border killing and the party condemned the murder.
Mr Quinn was lured to a farmhouse in Co Monaghan on Saturday evening. He was then brutally set upon by at least seven members of the gang, armed with iron bars and cudgels.
Gardai believe the attack had not been officially sanctioned by the former leadership of the Provisional IRA in the south Armagh region.
But they are satisfied the killers are all former members of the Provisionals and had set out to show Mr Quinn that they still wield considerable power in the area. The brutal attack has been condemned by politicians and gardai are working with the PSNI in trying to find the killers.
Two associates of Mr Quinn were initially lured to the farm at Tullycoora, Drumacrib, near Castleblayney, on Saturday and ordered to contact Mr Quinn.
When he arrived at the farmhouse at about 5pm, he was separated from the other two and brought to an outhouse where the savage beating took place. Mr Quinn sustained injuries to his head, shoulders, arms and legs.
He was brought to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda in a semi-conscious state but he later died as a result of his injuries.
His two associates who called him to the farmhouse were also beaten and treated in Daisy Hill Hospital, Newry, for their injuries. Yesterday, Mr Quinn's family issued a statement saying he had been in an argument with members of the IRA and had been told to leave the country.
"Our son courageously and correctly refused to leave," said the statement. "We believe that he was abducted by the Provisional movement and brutally beaten to death."
A post-mortem is due to take place later today to determine the exact cause of death.
"We are appealing to anybody who may have travelled along the main Castleblayney-Newtownhamilton Road between 5pm and 7pm on Saturday evening, and may have seen anything unusual which would be helpful to us, to come forward," said Supt Karl Heller of Carrickmacross garda station.
Gardai also inspected an oil tanker and a lorry, located in the area, as part of their investigation. But they said they did not believe the attack was connected to fuel smuggling along the Border.
The dead man was the youngest child of Stephen and Brid Quinn, a well-known and respected couple from the border area.
Local priest Fr Kevin Mullan said the deceased was "lively as a young lad searching for what life was about", having left school in his mid-teens.
"The feeling is one of gloom. Paul lost a friend of his, Brendan McCooey, from the area a few months ago when he drowned on holiday in Crete," said Fr Mullan.
SDLP MLA Dominic Bradley yesterday said there had been widespread revulsion on both sides of the border at the brutal attack.
Sinn Fein regional development minister, Conor Murphy MP, said he did not believe there was any Republican involvement in the murder.
