A man in his mid-30s was shot dead outside a GAA club on the outskirts of north Belfast last night. Police said it was too early to state a motive for the killing although people connected with the club believed it was a sectarian murder.
The man was shot dead in the car park of St Enda's GAA club just outside Glengormley shortly before 11 p.m.
The victim, who has yet to be named, was shot a number of times in the head and body, and died at the scene.
A man was seen running away from the club which is located down a lane way, off the Hightown Road, Glengormley. It is unclear whether the victim was arriving at, or about to leave, the club when he was shot.
In the early stages of the inquiry police were being extremely cautious about a motive for the murder.
"People need to be careful about blaming anyone at this stage, we just don't know what the motive is," one police source at the scene said early this morning.
But a group of six men huddled outside the club this morning, looking distressed and shocked, said they were in no doubt that the dead man was the victim of a sectarian loyalist attack - which happened as the President, Mrs McAleese, was concluding a successful first official visit to Northern Ireland.
One of the six said that over the years of the troubles three people associated with St Enda's were murdered, and others injured. He added that on several occasions the club was subjected to sectarian burnings, and other acts of vandalism.
"This is the most attacked GAA club in Ireland," he added.
St Enda's is located in the general north Belfast area, which is a patchwork of nationalist and loyalist areas. It is the area which has suffered the most deaths in the troubles with more than 500 killings.
While the Loyalist Volunteer Force, which is not observing a ceasefire, tends to be more concentrated in mid-Ulster, questions were being raised early this morning as to its possible involvement.
Last year the group was responsible for the torture and murder of Mr Sean Brown, a leading member of the Bellaghy GAA club in Co Derry.
The St Enda's club was cordoned off early this morning as forensic experts began sifting through the murder scene.
The RUC assistant chief constable, Mr Bill Stewart, who attended the murder scene, deplored the killing.
"This was a callous and senseless act for which no motive has yet been established," he said.
