Gardaí launch murder hunt after Offaly death

Gardaí intensified a murder investigation today after confirmation that a man found dead at a roadside in Co Offaly had been shot in the head.

The man was discovered yesterday by a passer-by in the gateway of a farm near the village of Coolderry. His hands had been tied behind his back.

The man, who was in his mid-20s, had still to be formally identified today, but reports indicated he had links with recent police seizures of drugs in the midlands region.

Gardaí are understood to be working on the theory that the man was killed at the scene.