Loyalist paramilitaries may have been responsible for the murder of a former gravedigger who was beaten to death in Co Antrim, police confirmed today.
Det Chief Insp Philip Marshall said paramilitary involvement in the murder of Tommy Hollran in Carrickfergus at the weekend was "one line of investigation we are following".
However, Mr Marshall said his murder team was not focusing exclusively on paramilitaries and was investigating other possible motives.
The 49-year-old died in hospital of severe head injuries yesterday after being found in an alleyway in Carrickfergus on Saturday evening.
Mr Hollran had been ordered out of Carrickfergus late last year after a dispute with loyalist paramilitaries and was attacked while on his way to visit relatives back in the town.
His family have accused the Ulster Defence Association of being responsible for the murder. They said it was the paramilitary group that ordered him out of the area and the same group that killed him when he returned.
Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain condemned the murder, branding those responsible "a threat to the whole community".