The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Brian Cowen, today condemned the murder of William Stobie who was shot in Belfast earlier this morning.
Mr Cowen, in a statement, said the murder may have been linked to the inquiry into the murder of the human rights lawyer Pat Finucane in 1996.
Mr Cowen said: "I unreservedly condemn the murder of William Stobie in Belfast this morning. This brutal act of violence has left another family in mourning. It is imperative that those responsible for his death are now brought swiftly to justice."
"This murder was abhorrent in itself. It may also have been an attempt to stifle the search for the truth into the circumstances surrounding the murder of Pat Finucane. It must not, and will not, be allowed to halt or hinder that search."
"I also want to condemn the killing of a young man in South Armagh who died this morning following what appears to have been a ‘punishment-style attack'. Such attacks are deplorable and unacceptable. I once again call on those with influence with paramilitary groups to bring these attacks to an immediate end."
The Red Hand Defenders, a pseudonym used by the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) and the Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF), has claimed responsibility for the killing.
