Youths quizzed by police over murder

Two youths were today being quizzed by police probing the murder of a man found battered at a sports ground.

Detectives investigating the death of civil servant Ian Flanagan, 30, arrested a second teenager in an undisclosed area of Belfast.

As police try to establish a clear motive for the killing, a spokeswoman refused to reveal which part of the city the latest arrest was made.

Although Mr Flanagan had a girlfriend, police believe his murder may have a homosexual link and last night officers leading the inquiry urged members of the city’s gay community to help.

The body was found close to an area frequently used by homosexual men.

Mr Flanagan, from Keady, south Armagh, had been badly beaten about the head with a blunt instrument.

His body was discovered at the bottom of a grass bank beside a hockey pitch just yards from where he had parked his red BMW car.

Police had earlier revealed a youth had been arrested in connection with Mr Flanagan’s murder.

A spokesman said he was arrested after a planned house search in the Newtownbreda area on the outskirts of south Belfast.

Earlier yesterday, detectives said they were looking for two men, dressed in sports clothing, who were seen at Barnett’s Park where the body was found on Sunday morning.

Police have also appealed for the driver of a grey and black jeep to come forward.

Detectives will also be reviewing previous assaults on in the area and the neighbouring Shaw’s Bridge.

Gay rights campaigners believe Mr Flanagan, who had been living at Donegall Avenue in Belfast, may have been targeted by a gang who thought he was a homosexual.