Sinn Fein councillor condemns Strabane killing

Mr Ivan Barr, the Sinn Fein Chairman of Strabane District Council, said he was horrified by the killing of a protestant man as he left the home of his catholic girlfriend las night.

He said: ‘‘Obviously it will create a perception, whether it’s the case or not, that this was sectarian.’’

Republican terrorists were blamed today for the shooting in Northern Ireland.

He was shot as he sat in his car outside her home in Strabane, Co Tyrone.

RUC District commander Clifford Best said a motive for the murder had not been positively established. But he claimed republicans were responsible.

Just hours earlier Sinn Fein’s ruling executive backed the IRA’s decision to disarm amid claims of some unease among provisionals over the move.

Supt Best claimed the victim, 30, had been executed.

He said: ‘‘There is nothing to suggest at this stage that the Provisional IRA was involved. But we’re pretty confident republicans were involved.

‘‘It was a very professional job.’’

Republicans opposed to the Good Friday agreement have been linked to a late-night bomb explosion in West Belfast last night. Nobody was hurt.

The victim of the Strabane shooting is believed to have hit three times and was dead on arrival at Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry.

His girlfriend, aged 16, was unhurt.

He was sitting in the driver’s seat and she was standing outside saying goodbye.

Two men walked up, pushed her aside and one of them fired into the victim three times. The gunman then moved round to the front of the car and fired three more shots.

The attack happened at Oakland Park and two men who were involved ran off down a nearby lane in the republican area.

The dead man lived outside Strabane.