Murdered dissident's family to meet security chief

Relatives of a dissident republican who claim MI5 has information on his brutal murder are to meet the Government's key security service adviser, it was confirmed last night.

Alex Carlile will travel to the North to meet the family of Real IRA member Kieran Doherty who was abducted, stripped and murdered by the grouping, before his body was dumped on a roadside on the outskirts of his native Derry in February.

Prior to his death the 31-year-old had accused MI5 of trying to recruit him and now his bereaved family believe the security service may have information on his killing.

Foyle MP Mark Durkan accompanied the family in a meeting with the Secretary of State Owen Paterson and has raised the concerns over MI5's possible role in the case in the Commons.

He said he had now received a letter from Mr Carlile confirming he will hear the family's concerns.

"He will meet the family and hear their issues and obviously we will have to see how he reflects on this," said Mr Durkan.

The SDLP representative said the family had appealed for anyone with information to come forward. They expect MI5 to also present any intelligence on the murder to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).

"It is to the credit of the family that in articulating their concerns, the issue has attracted this interest from Lord Carlile," said Mr Durkan.

He urged caution on the outcome of the meeting, noting that the peer does not have the investigative powers that, for example, the Police Ombudsman in Northern Ireland would have when probing police conduct.

Members of the dead man's family have claimed MI5 agents may have been involved in the events surrounding the murder, or that the organisation may have surveillance information that could help the hunt for his killers.

"They want the PSNI to have everything," said Mr Durkan. "They want to know if that applies to MI5 as well."