Body in canal death may have been ritual murder

GARDAÍ said yesterday that a man whose dismembered remains were discovered in a canal may have been the victim of a ritual killing.

The victim, who was black and aged between 20 and 30, had been stabbed before being cut up.

Detectives in Dublin's north inner city have enlisted the help of Interpol to try and identify the dead man. Parts of his body were discovered in the Royal Canal close to Croke Park. His head is still missing, leading to speculation that he was killed in a ritual manner, though there may have been another motive for the murder.

Victims of ritual killings are often dismembered, with some of the body parts either sold on or kept to be used in traditional medicine. The head is often cut off and kept.

A post-mortem examination carried out on the body revealed the dead man suffered a number of stab wounds to the abdomen.

It is believed he was cut up, the parts wrapped up in plastic and then transported to the canal at Ballybough. He may not have been killed in Dublin.

Senior gardaí initially said the body was that of a young white male. However, it was confirmed yesterday morning the dead man was black, of strong build and over 6ft tall. The body parts, bloated and discoloured, are believed to have been in the canal for between seven and 14 days.

Gardaí have set up an incident room at Fitzgibbon Street as a team headed by Chief Superintendent Michael Feehan settles in for what is expected to be a long investigation.

The alarm was raised on Wednesday evening after a man walking along the canal spotted a body part.

Chief Supt Feehan said the team investigating the murder had received "quite a few" calls following appeals. He said gardaí had an "open mind" on the inquiry and that they had not ruled out any line of investigation. He could not, however, confirm reports that gardaí have begun interviewing members of the immigrant community in an effort to find out who the man might be.

Chief Supt Feehan said all such avenues of inquiry were open. He appealed for anyone who was in the Ballybough area in recent days or weeks to come forward. Gardaí are also keen for anyone with suspicions about the possible murder scene to contact them.

Officially, the gardaí will comment on speculation the murdered man was the victim of a ritual killing. However, it is one line of inquiry.

Ritual killings, or muti murder, happen in various parts of Africa, though they are not confined to the continent. Muti murders are based in the traditional African belief that there is only a limited amount of good luck in the world.

To increase wealth or goodwill, it must come at another's expense.

Witch doctors can cast spells to improve one's luck or ward off evil spirits. However a more powerful way to acquire another person's power is to consume medicine made from their body parts.