Two men linked to an investigation into the double murder of a couple burnt to death in Northern Ireland have been released from a Dublin hospital, it emerged today.
The pair were among four men taken to hospital with critical burns two months ago, an hour after Thomas O'Hare (33) and his 21-year-old girlfriend, Lisa McClatchey were attacked and set on fire in Co Armagh.
All four men — who sought medical attention in Co Louth just across the Border from where the couple were brutally assaulted — are wanted for questioning by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).
The other two men remain in Dublin's St James Hospital where their conditions are described as "not critical".
Garda sources confirmed they are aware two of the men were discharged from the hospital on December 23rd and are believed to have returned to addresses either in Balbriggan, Co Dublin or Dundalk.
There has been no formal request from the PSNI to the gardaí for the men to be put under police observation or handed over.
A PSNI spokeswoman said: "Our position has not changed. We will only speak to these individuals when it is deemed they are medically fit."
It is understood there has been some unofficial contact between the authorities on both sides of the border and the two men released from hospital may be in no state to be quizzed by police for some time to come. A garda source said: "They are going nowhere for the foreseeable future."
Mr O'Hare and Ms McClatchey were beaten with hammers and doused in petrol before being set alight by a gang of vigilantes on November 6th at their home on Foley Road, Tassagh, Co Armagh.
Six masked intruders are believed to have broken into the house and carried out the arson attack. The couple died from horrific injuries later in hospital sparking a PSNI double murder investigation.
A 24-year-old man questioned about the attack by detectives was released on police bail while another man, from Co Tyrone, appeared in court charged with perverting the course of justice and withholding information in relation to the inquiry.