Detectives investigating the murder of human rights lawyer, Rosemary Nelson today confirmed they were questioning two people about serious criminal offences. Norfolk deputy chief constable Colin Port, who is leading the investigation, said: “We can confirm that two people were arrested yesterday in Co Armagh. They are currently being questioned about serious criminal offences.”
Mother-of-three Mrs Nelson, who had represented many nationalists and republicans, was killed by a loyalist car bomb near her home in Lurgan on March 15 last year. Mr Port was appointed to head an inquiry team of 65 police officers, 20 from the RUC and the rest from elsewhere in the UK, after the Catholic solicitor was murdered. More than 5,000 people have been involved in the investigation and 1,500 statements have been taken but no one has been charged.
Republicans accused the Northern Ireland security forces of possible collusion in the murder and the Government has not yet totally ruled out the possibility of a fully independent inquiry. But Mr Port said there was nothing to date to suggest collusion. “We have found no evidence of collusion. If there is collusion we will find it,” he vowed.
