Poisoning victim had just checked into hotel

A man believed to have fatally poisoned himself with cyanide in a Belfast hotel room may have checked in just hours earlier, it emerged today.

The body of the victim, in his late 20s and local, was discovered on the seventh floor of the city centre Holiday Inn on Thursday.

Decontamination units were brought in as fire and ambulance crews joined the police operation at the Ormeau Avenue building.

Chemical substances discovered at the scene were taken for examination at a forensic laboratory.

Although unconfirmed, these are believed to be potassium cyanide.

The man who died is thought to have swallowed the poison, possibly in a glass of water.

With no sign of anything suspicious, investigating officers are understood to be treating it as a suicide case.

The victim is understood to have been staying in hostel or rented accommodation in the south of the city.

There is no evidence that he was staying at the hotel for any length of time before his death, sources revealed.

The name of the dead man has not yet been released.