The owner of a Chinese restaurant in Co Antrim died after attackers forced his car off the road late on Wednesday night and stabbed him in the throat. Two people have been arrested in connection with the killing.
The 65-year-old victim was driving home with his wife from his business in Randalstown shortly after midnight when their car was intercepted by two vehicles in a remote country area.
Police said they arrested a woman, aged 31, and a man, aged 29. Both are being questioned by detectives. There is no suspicion of a hate motivation, a senior officer said.
The victim ran the Double Value restaurant on the main street in Randalstown. He lived in Ballymoney.
PSNI Det Chief Insp Eamonn Corrigan said the man’s wife ran for help to a house in the Caddy Road area of Randalstown after the attack. The householder made a 999 call to police.
“The woman had suffered wounds to her hands and head,” he said. “When police arrived at the scene a short time later, they discovered the body of her husband.”
He said the couple had been driving along Caddy Road after finishing work at their restaurant in Randalstown.
“I believe that their vehicle was forced off the road by two other vehicles and they were approached by a number of people.
“The couple were attacked and a sum of cash taken from them. The woman managed to leave the vicinity and raised the alarm at a nearby house. Tragically, the man died at the scene as a result of stab wounds.
“We are not in a position to name the couple at this stage of the investigation. The woman underwent surgery today but her injuries do not appear to be life threatening.”
Det Chief Insp Gareth Talbot said: “At this time investigations are at an early stage but I am treating this as murder.”
Local councillor Kieran McMullan said the attack sounded “not just vicious but obscene”.
Mr McMullan said he had seen the victims just 12 hours before the incident in a supermarket, their trolley loaded with vegetables for their business.
“To learn that less than 12 hours later the man has had his throat cut is shocking – it is an atrocity,” he said.
Mr McMullan said he knew him as a customer at his restaurant. “There was never a more pleasant individual, to enter his premises and do business with.”
Police have appealed for anyone who saw vehicles moving along Caddy Road between 11.30pm on Wednesday and 1am on Thursday to contact them.
They also want to speak to anybody who may have seen a black Seat Toledo car, registration number OE62FRF, in the Randalstown area on Wednesday.
Caddy Road was closed yesterday and Det Chief Insp Corrigan said he understood the impact this was having on the local community.
“However, this is the scene of a very serious crime and I thank local residents for their patience as we continue our forensic work.”
Sinn Féin MLA for South Antrim Mitchel McLaughlin said the local community in and around Randalstown was shocked by the killing.
“Randalstown is a quiet, close-knit community,” he said. “This news that the town awoke to is completely unexpected and we are all mindful that a family is now grieving.
“If any one has any information about this tragic incident or saw anything suspicious, I would urge them to contact the PSNI.” – (PA)