Police revisit murder scene in search if witnesses

Detectives today revisited the scene of the murder of young Catholic postal worker Daniel McColgan in a bid to persuade more witnesses to come forward.

The 20-year-old was shot dead as he arrived for work a week ago at the Royal Mail sorting office in the loyalist Rathcoole Estate on the outskirts of north Belfast.

After the murder the Red Hand Defenders, a cover name used by the Ulster Defence Association and the Loyalist Volunteer Force, issued a death threat to Catholic postal workers and teachers.

The murder, which was claimed by the East Antrim brigade of the UDA, sparked a wave of protest throughout Northern Ireland.

Four men, including a loyalist councillor in Newtownabbey, have been questioned in connection with the killing but no-one has been charged.

The officer leading the inquiry said he realised it was difficult for people in the area to be seen talking to the police.

Yesterday, thousands of people took to the streets of the province to demand an end to all sectarian murders.

Workers downed tools at lunchtime in half day stoppages to express their revulsion at Mr McColgan’s murder and recent threats.

Earlier this week, all postal deliveries had been suspended throughout Northern Ireland in protest at the shooting.

On Tuesday night the Ulster Freedom Fighters, a name used by the UDA, said it condemned the threats and demanded that the Red Hand Defenders stand down.

Both nationalist and unionist politicians said they were deeply sceptical about the statement as members of the UFF were using the Red Hand Defenders’ name as a flag of convenience to carry out sectarian attacks.

The statement was followed hours later by a statement purporting to come from the shadowy Red Hand Defenders, stating that it had withdrawn all threats and was disbanding from midnight on Wednesday.

Despite this apparent retreat by loyalist paramilitaries, trade unions proceeded yesterday with protest rallies in Belfast, Derry, Omagh, Enniskillen, Newry, Cookstown and Strabane.

A resolution by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions affirmed ‘‘total opposition of all sectarian activity of whatever nature’’.

The largest rally was in Belfast where 15,000 people of all ages, religions and classes turned out.

Unionist and nationalist ministers from the Northern Ireland power-sharing executive stood shoulder to shoulder with postal workers and Catholic school teachers threatened by loyalist paramilitaries.

Ulster Unionist leader and First Minister David Trimble, SDLP leader and Deputy First Minister Mark Durkan and Sinn Fein ministers Martin McGuinness and Bairbre de Brun were among those in the crowd.

In his address, the ICTU’s Peter Bunting said the purpose of the rally and half-day stoppages was to get across a simple message.

‘‘Violence doesn’t work, sectarianism is evil, a theme which has the support of the vast majority of Northern Ireland citizens irrespective of political or religious affiliations,’’ he said.