Northern Ireland police are assessing the impact on a murder inquiry of the IRA's announcement that it has expelled three of its members. The family of Robert McCartney accused IRA members of responsibility for his murder and of intimidating witnesses. The IRA said one of those expelled made a statement to a solicitor and called on the others to take responsibility.Mr McCartney's stabbing four weeks ago had "serious consequences" for the IRA, said the BBC's Kevin Connolly. Mr Connolly said: "Sinn Fein and the IRA are, at the moment, feeling the political heat". Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams has said that people have a patriotic duty to support the family of the dead man, who was killed in a traditionally republican area of Belfast. The IRA said two of those it had dismissed were "high-ranking volunteers". The expulsions came after what the IRA called "an investigation" into last month's killing.
BBC Northern Ireland security editor Brian Rowan said: "Given the events of recent days there was an inevitability about this latest statement from the IRA. Republicans had been under huge pressure to do something, and in its statement tonight, the IRA said any intimidation or threats made in its name would not be tolerated."
Sounds like Bob Hope material.
Ulster Unionist Sir Reg Empey said unless the expulsions were accompanied "by the names of the individuals involved in a way that will lead to police prosecution", the statement would be viewed as little other than "a cynical face-saving exercise".
The IRA statement comes 24 hours after Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams met the McCartney family. The family had accused republicans of pressuring witnesses not to talk, although they welcomed an earlier IRA statement urging his killers to come forward. Mr Adams described the meeting as "constructive". "There is an onus on us to do everything we can to bring closure to this family," he said. He said that he was told up to 70 people, and up to 21 this week, had already come forward with information about his death.
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has said that a test of Sinn Fein's stated opposition to criminality would be to turn in the killers. No-one has been charged in connection with the killing, although it is believed there were up to 70 witnesses to the crime.