Republican sources in south Armagh have linked the killing of a Provisional IRA member to a dispute between the paramilitary group and former members.
They were speaking as the funeral took place yesterday of Keith Rogers (24), at the Church of the Sacred Heart in Shelagh, near Crossmaglen. He was shot on Wednesday during a dispute along the Border involving up to 10 men.
The veteran republican, Mr Brian Keenan, told mourners his killers were "a band of vermin" and the republican movement would "no doubt make their position very clear".
Local republican sources linked the killing to an argument over the proceeds of cigarette smuggling.
They said it followed serious tensions between local Provisional IRA members and former activists. There is no dissident republican involvement in the dispute.
Several hundred mourners, including Sinn Féin Assembly member Mr Conor Murphy, attended the funeral. Mr Rogers's coffin, draped in the Tricolour with a wreath of white flowers on top, was carried the short distance to the church from his parents' home, preceded by a lone piper.
The media was kept well away from the funeral, which was heavily stewarded. Mr Rogers was shot once in the chest and once in the arm.
Father Peter Clarke told mourners revenge would not bring Mr Rogers back to life and would only "defile" his memory.
A man arrested in connection with the incident has been released on police bail.