Republican 'may have been murdered over his sexuality'

A dissident republican paramilitary may have been murdered because of his sexuality, police said tonight.

Members of the gay community who knew Martin Conlon, 35, were urged to co-operate in a bid to hunt down the killers who abducted and shot him in south Armagh.

Detectives are examining several possible motives, including the possibility that he was the victim of a fall-out with former associates linked to the Real IRA.

But Mr Conlon could also have been attacked last week because he was gay, it has emerged.

Superintendent Derek Williamson, the detective heading the inquiry, said: "I am following a number of key lines of enquiry in this murder which will incorporate Mr Conlon's possible connections with paramilitary organisations and also allegations of involvement in criminal activity.

"One other line of enquiry surrounds Mr Conlon's sexuality and the possibility that there may be a homophobic motive.

"I would therefore ask that anyone with information about Mr Conlon's life and associations, including those within the gay community, also come forward and tell police what they know.

"I cannot rule out the possibility that any of these motives are what led to his brutal murder."

The victim, who lived at Railway Street, Armagh, died in hospital after being found unconscious near the neighbouring village of Keady last Monday.

He was freed from jail in the Republic last year.

He was one of six men jailed at the Special Criminal Court in Dublin in March 2001 after pleading guilty to training people in the use of firearms.

It followed a special security operation when armed police surrounded a field at Strathmullen, Co Meath, and a farm in Co Louth which was being used as a Real IRA training camp.

He served a four-year sentence in Portlaoise Prison and was released last year.

His body was discovered at Farnaloy Road close to the Madden estate outside Keady, and about a mile and a half from where his car, a silver Volkswagen Passat was later found burned out.

Detectives returned to the scene today to stage a partial reconstruction in a bid to piece together the circumstances surrounding the murder and identify new witnesses.

A car similar to Mr Conlon's was used at three different sites where people may have been in the areas seven days ago.

"The reconstruction is an attempt to jog people's memories and to find new witnesses and I appeal to anyone who was in the areas of either Greenpark, Farnaloy Road or Madden Road on Monday evening last at any time between 5pm and 7pm to come forward and speak to police," added Mr Williamson.

"I am not just asking people who may have seen anything suspicious to come forward, but rather anyone who was in these areas for any reason to come forward, identify themselves and be eliminated from our enquiries."