A burnt out car may yield clues to the assassination attempt on rogue loyalist Mark Haddock, it emerged today.
As police carried out new searches in Belfast, they urged anyone who saw the blue Renault Clio near the scene of the shooting to contact them.
Two men are still being questioned about the attack in Newtownabbey, Co Antrim on Tuesday.
Haddock, 37, was shot six times after going to a meeting on the Doagh Road on Tuesday. Former associates in the Ulster Volunteer Force are suspected of the bid to kill him.
Haddock has been on bail while on trial for the attempted murder of a nightclub doorman. A judge is expected to deliver his verdict soon.
But he was ordered to stay out of Belfast amid fears his presence could ignite loyalist violence.
Allegations that he was a Special Branch agent while based in the Mount Vernon estate, a notorious UVF stronghold in the north of the city, has fuelled the concerns.
Police did not reveal whether anything was found during today's searches at undisclosed locations.
But detectives want to speak to anyone who saw the Renault Clio, registration RBZ 9222, on the Doagh Road on Monday or Tuesday.
The car was later discovered a mile away at Tynan Close in the Monkstown estate. It had been destroyed by fire.