Loyalists claim taxi driver killing

A loyalist gang has claimed responsibility for the murder of a taxi driver in Co. Tyrone last night but there is some concern over its veracity.

The Red Hand Defenders, a cover name for the UDA, said it killed Barney McDonald outside a snooker club at Donaghmore, near Dungannon, last night.

The claim came in a call to a Belfast newsroom. A recognised codeword was used. It was initially claimed that Mr McDonald was murdered after a fall-out with republicans.

The police are not treating it as sectarian and there is some doubt over the loyalist claim. The dead man was hit in the head with a shotgun blast as he sat at the wheel of his car. He died instantly.