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01/11/2012
Prison Officer Murdered On M1
A prison officer has been murdered following an attack on his car while driving on the M1.
Shots were fired into the officer’s car as he drove on the Belfast bound carriageway between the M12 Portadown exit and the Lurgan interchange at 07:30 this morning.
A burnt-out car has been discovered in Lurgan, County Armagh following the attack.
The motorway has been closed in both directions.
The incident has caused shock for politicians, police and the public due to its similarity to murders which happened during the worst periods of the Troubles.
The victim is the thirtieth prison worker to be murdered since the beginning of the conflict.
The last prison officer killed was Jim Peacock, who was murdered on 1 September 1993 when UVF gunmen shot him dead at his home in north Belfast.
The First Minister and Deputy First Minister said: "At this time our thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved family and we condemn this murder in the strongest possible terms.
"There can be no justification for this brutal attack as this man was going about his daily life. People who work for the Prison Service play a crucial role in our community and any attack on them is an attack on all of us."
Justice Minister David Ford has been briefed by the Chief Constable Matt Baggott and Director General Sue McAllister and has spoken to both the First Minister and deputy First Minister.
He said: "At the outset, I want to express my deepest sympathy to the family and colleagues of the murdered prison officer.
"This is a horrific murder, for which there can be no justification and will be rightly condemned by all across Northern Ireland.
"At its very core this is a human tragedy. A man has lost his life this morning and a family are grieving the loss of their loved one. My thoughts are also with the wider Prison Service family."
The Minister has appealed for anyone with information to come forward to the PSNI.
"It is important that anyone with any information, who saw anything suspicious, reports it to the police or through Crimestoppers immediately," he said.
"We need to respond to this horrific act by bringing those responsible to justice."
(IT/GK)
Shots were fired into the officer’s car as he drove on the Belfast bound carriageway between the M12 Portadown exit and the Lurgan interchange at 07:30 this morning.
A burnt-out car has been discovered in Lurgan, County Armagh following the attack.
The motorway has been closed in both directions.
The incident has caused shock for politicians, police and the public due to its similarity to murders which happened during the worst periods of the Troubles.
The victim is the thirtieth prison worker to be murdered since the beginning of the conflict.
The last prison officer killed was Jim Peacock, who was murdered on 1 September 1993 when UVF gunmen shot him dead at his home in north Belfast.
The First Minister and Deputy First Minister said: "At this time our thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved family and we condemn this murder in the strongest possible terms.
"There can be no justification for this brutal attack as this man was going about his daily life. People who work for the Prison Service play a crucial role in our community and any attack on them is an attack on all of us."
Justice Minister David Ford has been briefed by the Chief Constable Matt Baggott and Director General Sue McAllister and has spoken to both the First Minister and deputy First Minister.
He said: "At the outset, I want to express my deepest sympathy to the family and colleagues of the murdered prison officer.
"This is a horrific murder, for which there can be no justification and will be rightly condemned by all across Northern Ireland.
"At its very core this is a human tragedy. A man has lost his life this morning and a family are grieving the loss of their loved one. My thoughts are also with the wider Prison Service family."
The Minister has appealed for anyone with information to come forward to the PSNI.
"It is important that anyone with any information, who saw anything suspicious, reports it to the police or through Crimestoppers immediately," he said.
"We need to respond to this horrific act by bringing those responsible to justice."
(IT/GK)
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