A leading loyalist dissident has been shot dead in the Shankill Road area of West Belfast. The RUC say the shooting took place in the area of a pony club at Malvern Way on the lower Shankill Road. The incident occurred at about three o'clock this afternoon.
The RUC say a number of shots were heard by people inside the pony club, who came out to find a man lying dead on the pavement. Three men were seen running away from the scene towards the corner of Agnes street and the Shankill road. At least one of them was wearing a balaclava.
The RUC do not know as yet how many shots were fired, or what sort of weapons were used, but a spokesman at the scene said the man died instantly. The man has been named by the Ulster Democratic Party as Frankie Curry who was recently linked to breakaway paramilitary groups. It is not thought that there was any republican involvement in the killing. The RUC has said that they are keeping an open mind and that the man was known to the police. They believe it may be part of an internal loyalist feud.
The Northern Secretary, Mo Mowlam, has condemned the shooting. Speaking in Washington Dr Mowlam said killings like this serve no purpose.
