PSNI get more time to quiz Assembly candidate on 1981 shooting

Detectives were tonight given an extra 48 hours to question an unsuccessful candidate in the Northern Ireland Assembly Elections about the attempted murder of a soldier more than 25 years ago.

Gerry McGeough, 46, was one of two republicans arrested by police as part of a new probe into the assassination attempt.

McGeough was detained in a car park in Omagh, Co Tyrone, on Thursday after leaving a count centre.

The independent republican candidate for Fermanagh and South Tyrone had failed to win a seat to the Stormont Assembly standing in opposition to Sinn Féin.

A second man, Vincie McAnespie, 44, whose wife is a Sinn Féin councillor in County Monaghan was also arrested north of the border in Aughnacloy, County Tyrone.

Both McAnespie and McGeough were taken to a police serious crime suite in Antrim.

They were questioned about an attempt to murder a part-time Ulster Defence Regiment officer in 1981.

The soldier was ambushed by two men after being called to an isolated farmhouse in County Tyrone.

He was shot a number of times, but managed to return fire and injure one of the terrorists.

After police went to the High Court in Belfast today they were granted the extension to further quiz the suspects about the shooting.