British spy murdered

2006-04-04 22:09

Belfast - A former key member of the Irish Republican Army's political wing Sinn Fein, who had admitted spying for the British government, has been found shot dead, Irish police sources said on Tuesday.

Denis Donaldson, 55, who was banished from Northern Ireland's largest Catholic party after his confession last December, was found dead in County Donegal, in northwest Ireland.

The former spy's body was discovered by a neighbour at 17:00 (16:00 GMT) in the run-down cottage in Doochary, near the village of Glenties, which had been his home since his expulsion.

"The IRA had no involvement whatsoever in the death of Denis Donaldson," it said in a brief statement.

Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams said he spoke to the victim's family before news of the death broke.

"I want to disassociate Sinn Fein and all republicans who support the peace process from this killing," he said.

He would not speculate on who might have been responsible.

"Denis Donaldson worked for the special branch, who ruthlessly used him to collapse a democratically elected government.

"Last year they were about to publicly expose him in a further effort to destabilise the process.

"It is likely that his death at this time is intended to undermine current efforts to make political progress.

"Those who carried out this murder are clearly opposed to the peace process."

Hand chopped off

Ian Paisley, the Protestant firebrand leader of Northern Ireland's largest party, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), told Channel Four television: "I have heard that his hand was chopped off in this murder."

"We don't know who has done this, but the finger must be pointed towards those who were angry at what this man had done."

Irish justice minister Michael McDowell has said that Donaldson had extensive damage to his right arm.

He said Donaldson had been last seen by the Irish police in Donegal on Monday night.

McDowell's government called it a "brutal murder" and "callous", while Britain's Northern Ireland minister Peter Hain said he was "completely appalled by this barbaric act".

Irish police sealed off the area as forensic experts were called in to carry out an inspection.

A pathologist was called to the scene to do a post-mortem.

- AFP