Murder victim bound and shot in legs

A man who died after he was shot and dumped near the border was bound with tape, police confirmed today.

The victim, 27, was found lying beside another man, 35, near the village of Forkhill in south Armagh.

Both men, believed to be from Dublin, had been tied by the hands and shot in the legs before being abandoned in the New Road area.

They were discovered by a local resident and rushed to the Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry.

They were later transferred to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, where the younger man died of his injuries.

The other man was described as being in a critical condition.

Police in Armagh confirmed they were liaising with officers in the Irish Republic as part of the murder investigation.

They said the two men had suffered horrific injuries.

A spokesman said that no motive had been discovered for the attack adding that paramilitary involvement could not be ruled out.

‘‘We are not ruling anything out or in at this stage.’’

Stephen White, an Assistant Chief Constable in charge of the area, said: ‘‘It’s a despicable act.’’

Ulster Unionist Assembly member Danny Kennedy blamed republicans for the killing.

The Newry and Armagh MLA, in whose constituency the shooting took place, said: ‘‘This is another callous and brutal murder carried out by terrorists.

‘‘All the signs point to the involvement of republicans in the attack on this young man in Forkhill.

‘‘This activity reflects a general state of lawlessness in parts of South Armagh - a matter that is not helped in any way by the policies of Sinn Fein towards policing.’’

But Packie McDonald a Sinn Fein councillor from the area, denied any republican involvement in the murder.

‘‘This has come as a complete shock to people living here. Everyone I am sure will sympathise with the family who have received tragic news this morning,’’ he said.

Northern Ireland Security Minister Jane Kennedy condemned the killing and the murder of former Ulster Defence Association quartermaster William Stobie.

‘‘These horrific murders bring nothing but pain and grief to families,’’ she said.