PSNI release man in loyalist shooting probe

A man arrested by police in the North investigating the murder of a top loyalist on a packed Belfast shopping street was released today without charge.

Bobby Moffett, understood to be a member of the Red Hand Commando (RHC) terror group, was gunned down on Belfast’s Shankill Road in front of dozens of shocked bystanders on Friday, including young children, in a lunchtime attack reminiscent of the dark days of the Troubles.

The 49-year-old man arrested for questioning by police on Friday night was held at the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s serious crime suite in Antrim.

But police today said he had been released unconditionally.

Moffett, 44, was shot a number of times in the face by two masked gunmen in an assassination that has been blamed on renegade elements within the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) – a mainstream paramilitary group with historic ties to the RHCs.

It is understood the murder was linked to a personal dispute.

Police described the shooting as “a cold-blooded, ruthless killing”.