UVF linked to man's murder

Police in Norhtern Ireland launched a murder inquiry today following the death of a man after an early hours shooting near Belfast.

John Allen, 31, died in hospital hours after the incident in a flat at Ballyclare, Co Antrim. He was hit a number of times in the legs and the head.

The outlawed Ulster Volunteer Force loyalist paramilitary group was today being linked to the attack.

At the time of the incident, the dead man was staying at the home of his younger brother, who was uninjured.

Mr Allen was not thought to have any connections with para-military organisations, and was described by neighbours as “a gentle giant.” But he was believed to have been targeted in an earlier UVF attack.