Belfast murder, The scene of last night's attack
Loyalist paramilitaries are being blamed for today's murder of a Catholic workman in a gun attack on the outskirts of North Belfast. Another Catholic was seriously injured in a separate incident minutes later outside a North Belfast taxi firm. A senior RUC officer, Superintendent Campbell Dixon, said that the killing was a naked sectarian murder. Supt Dixon said that two men, at least one armed, approached their target and shot him several times in the head and body, killing him instantly. The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Brian Cowen, called on all those with influence in their community to use their utmost efforts to ensure calm.
Meanwhile, the two main Loyalist paramilitary organisations, the UDA and the UVF, along with its related group, the Red Hand Commando, have issued a joint statement saying that they do not believe the murder of Trevor Kell was related to their feud. They said that they were investigating the killing of the taxi driver in North Belfast last night. The statement said that the talks between the three groups were now at an advanced stage and there was a hope that an early resolution to their differences would be found.
The RUC is investigating the killing of Mr Kell who was a Protestant man and came from the Oldpark area. Sinn Féin has said that they believe the shooting was not sectarian and the PUP's Billy Hutchinson has said that it was not connected with the recent feud between Loyalist paramilitary groups.
The taxi driver was shot dead as he went to collect a fare in a Protestant part of Ardoyne around 11.30pm last night. He worked for a company which was based on the Crumlin Road. Sinn Féin Assembly member Gerry Kelly said that in his view the killing was not sectarian and that Republicans were not involved.
Mr Hutchinson dismissed speculation that the murder may be linked to the feud between the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) which has claimed seven lives since August. Intense negotiations between the two paramilitary groups have been continuing in recent weeks. Mr Hutchinson, whose party has links to the UVF, said he did not think that people had got this far in terms of negotiations to let this happen. He also said that he thought that Mr Kell had no connection with the feud. Ulster Democratic Party chairman John White said that he was bewildered by the shooting and did not believe that a particular organisation was responsible.
The North's First Minister, David Trimble, has condemned the shootings, saying that to achieve the new beginning promised in the Good Friday Agreement paramilitaries on all sides needed to close up shop.
