Two held in connection with PSNI murder released

Two men arrested in connection with the murder of a policeman were released without charge tonight.

The men, aged 31 and 27, have been questioned by police for seven days about the murder of PC Stephen Carroll, 48, in Craigavon, Co Armagh.

Five other people arrested for questioning about the murder, and four detained over the murders of two soldiers - Sappers Patrick Azimkar, 21, from London, and Mark Quinsey, 23, from Birmingham - 48 hours before PC Carroll's murder, remain in custody.

The Real IRA claimed responsibility for murdering the soldiers as they collected a pizza from a delivery driver at the gates of the Massereene Barracks in Antrim earlier this month.

The Continuity IRA said they were responsible for the murder of the policeman.

Six of the nine still in detention have launched a High Court action in Belfast challenging their extended detention.

They are the first people to be held in the North under the Terrorism Act of 2006 which means they can be held for up to 28 days.

Only one of the six, prominent Craigavon republican Colin Duffy - being questioned about the soldiers' murders - was identified; the others were granted anonymity.

Lawyers representing the six are seeking an urgent judicial review on the basis that their extended detention is unlawful and breaches their right to liberty under the European Convention on Human Rights.

Duffy was allowed into court under police guard for the hearing.

The three judges are expected to rule tomorrow whether the judicial review can go ahead and test the legislation.

The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission was tonight granted permission to visit Antrim Police Station where all the suspects are being held.

The Commission said it was concerned at the length of pre-charge detention and wished to inspect the conditions in which detainees were being held.

Before entering the station, Chief Commissioner Monica McWilliams said: "On a previous visit we noted that individuals detained in this particular police station could be held in small cells for extended periods with limited access to outdoor facilities.

"The facility at that time for those spending any time out of lock-up was in a small caged area on the second floor.

"To hold individuals in such confinement for extended periods of time raises human rights concerns and this will be the focus of the Commission's visit."

The UK's pre-charge detention period is considerably longer than in other countries and the Commission has questioned the Government recently on the efficacy of this approach as a counter-terrorism measure.

It said, given the historical experience of the North, ensuring human rights compliance in law, policy and practice was essential at this time.

The Commission said it was also aware that one of those being held at Antrim Police Station was a minor.

Earlier Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams called for those detained to be charged or released.

He said: "There are currently a number of people, including a 17-year-old juvenile, being detained by the PSNI for periods extending beyond human rights best practice. This is not acceptable. They should either be charged now or released."

He added that, regardless of suspected activity, people enjoyed basic human rights.

"If there is evidence which exists against somebody, then that person should be charged and the evidence put before the courts," he said.

"If no such evidence exists then that person should be released. That is the democratic standard which must be adhered to."

A PSNI spokeswoman insisted they did everything within the boundaries of human rights legislation.

"The police service does not create legislation - we enforce the law as it is enacted.

"When investigating any crime we will use all legal means to bring those responsible before the courts. This we do in compliance with European human rights legislation," she said.