PSNI arrest man over 1973 murder

Detectives in the North have arrested a man over a murder more than 35 years ago.

The 58-year-old suspect is being questioned about the killing of north Belfast cafe owner Alfredo Fusco in February 1973.

The shooting of the Catholic father of four was blamed on loyalist paramilitaries from the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) – though the organisation never admitted responsibility.

The man was arrested by officers from the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s Historical Enquiries Unit (HET) which was set up to revisit unsolved Troubles murders.

He is being questioned at Antrim custody suite.

Mr Fusco, 58, a prominent member of Belfast's Italian community, was gunned down inside his cafe on York Road.

Two gunmen forced their way into the premises and singled out the owner in front of customers.

One chased him into a back storeroom, returning briefly to swap weapons with his accomplice before continuing to fire.

Protestant pensioner Samuel Reynolds, who had been in a nearby newsagents when he heard the gunfire, collapsed and died from a heart attack brought on by the shock.

The Fusco family had been subject to intimidation in the lead-up to the killing, with Mr Fusco’s car having been torched two months before he was shot.

At his inquest, a corner described the killing as a “callous, horrible and senseless murder” of a respectable citizen carrying on a respectable business.