From: "Stasi" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Peoples War" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Peoples War] Ireland: Loyalists Murder Journalist UTV News SATURDAY 29/09/01 09:17:26 Loyalists claim journalist murder Loyalist terror group the Red Hand Defenders are claiming responsibility for the murder of Martin O'Hagan. ----------- In a call to a Belfast newsroom the group they admitted to shooting the 51-year-old journalist for "crimes against the loyalist people". He was walking home from the local pub with his wife when he was murdered. A gunman pulled up beside him in a car in Wheatfield Gardens and shot him. He died at the scene. Mr O`Hagan had been working for the northern edition of the Dublin-based Sunday World. He`d been living with loyalist death threats for years and there is speculation that the Loyalist Volunteer Force may have been responsible for the murder. Its murdered former leader, Billy "King Rat" Wright, was behind earlier threats. Mr O`Hagan was a key witness in a case over the controversial Channel Four programme The Committee, which alleged leading members of the security forces were involved in a secret ring linked to loyalist paramilitaries. Mr O`Hagan`s editor, Jim McDowell, says he is "devastated" by the murder. He said: "I was not aware he was under any threat at this time. He never talked about that. But, obviously, as a fearless journalist and a secretary of the NUJ in Belfast, an attack on someone of his stature is an attack on the freedom of speech and freedom of the press." Mr O`Hagan leaves three daughters, including one engaged to be married. ---------------------------------------------------- � The Irish Freedom Committee NewsList - IFC Updates Permission to re-publish any original article from this post is granted provided signature is attached and the active link back to this site is included. _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki Phone +358-40-7177941 Fax +358-9-7591081 http://www.kominf.pp.fi General class struggle news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe mails to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Geopolitical news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________
