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Daily Ireland,  5 November 2005:

Ludlow suspect in swap deal

by Ciaran Barnes

[email protected]

The RUC planned to hand over to the Garda Siochana the man suspected of murdering Seamus Ludlow in return for the Irish  government extraditing leading republican Dominic McGlinchey to the North.

The revelation is contained in judge Henry Barron's report into the Ludlow killing, which was published on Thursday.

The 47-year-old Dundalk man was murdered by a loyalist gang that included two serving British   Army soldiers.

Despite knowing for almost two decades that loyalists were responsible, gardai claimed the IRA had carried out the killing.

The Ludlow family have called for a full independent public inquiry into the gardai's failure to pursue their relative's murderers.

In the late 1970s, the RUC interviewed a Co Down loyalist about Mr Ludlow's death. The paramilitary was serving four years in prison at the time for possession of weapons.

According to the loyalist, detectives told him he would be extradited to the Republic to face questioning about the Ludlow murder in return for Dominic McGlinchey being sent  North.

McGlinchey was in jail in the Republic at the time on highjacking charges. He was wanted for questioning in the North about a number of paramilitary attacks.

In his report, Judge Barron noted: "At an early stage of the investigation (name withheld for legal reasons) claimed that he had been interviewed about the same case (Ludlow) in 1978 or 1979, while under arrest for possession of a nine-millimetre Star pistol."

The judge then quoted the loyalist as saying: "On the fifth day, second interview, I was taken to an outside interview room and three detectives came in.

Ludlow suspect in  McGlinchey swap deal claim

"I was questioned about a thing in Comber (a town in Co Down) and the Garda Siochana and about someone being murdered over the Border, and an extradition warrant was mentioned.

"The police mentioned something about a swap between me and Dominic McGlinchey."

The McGlinchey family have never been informed of the extradition swap deal involving their relative and the loyalist suspected of murdering Mr Ludlow.

Paul McGlinchey, Dominic's brother, said the gardai were determined to hand Dominic McGlinchey to the RUC.

He said: "The gardai tried to smuggle Dominic over the Border after his arrest in the Republic in the late 1970s.

"Because he escaped and was involved in a shoot-out with the gardai, they had no other option but to charge and jail him in the South.

"It doesn't surprise me he was being used as a pawn by the British and Irish governments. Nothing the gardai gets up to surprises me."

Sinn Fein Dail leader, Caoimhghain O Caolain described the McGlinchey extradition plan as "disturbing".

"It should be remembered that, while this loyalist was being questioned about the Ludlow murder, the gardai were running around telling the world that the IRA was responsible.

"This who case stinks to high heavens and needs to be aired so the Ludlow family can find out the truth and get closure," he said.

After surviving a number of murder bids, Dominic McGlinchey was shot dead in February 1994 near his home in Drogheda, Co Louth. No organisation claimed responsibility for the killing.

The 39-year-old had been a leading member of the IRA in south Derry. After being released from prison in 1982, he joined the Irish National Liberation Army.


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The Irish Sun, 4 November 2005: Storm as Ludlow report is revealed

Daily Ireland, 4 November 2005: Ludlow relatives accuse authorities of not pursuing killers because of fear of upsetting British Family lashes government

The Irish News,  4 November 2005: Ludlow murder 'a random sectarian killing

Irish Daily Star, 4 November 2005: No result in death probe Gardai ignored RUC tip on loyalist killers of Louth man

The Irish News, 5 November 2005: Ludlow family call for public inquiry into death

The Irish News - Editorial, 5 November 2005: Ludlow family deserve justice

The Belfast Telegraph, 5 November 2005: Loyalist named in Ludlow murder inquiry admits: I Was There But I Didn't Kill Him

The Belfast Telegraph, 5 November 2005: Ludlow Murder Witness Battles To Clear His Name

Sunday Life, 6 November 2005: 'Murder car' man feels like a victim

The News of the World, 6 November 2005: I'm no killer, says 'branded' UDA man Loyalist hits at Report

The Sunday Life, 6 November 2005: 'Murder car' man feels like a victim

The Irish Times, 8 November 2005: Ludlow family seeks sworn public inquiry

The Dundalk Democrat, 9 November 2005: Full public inquiry is Ludlow aim

The Argus (Dundalk), 11 November 2005: Four suspected of killing named

The Argus (Dundalk), 11 November 2005: Family’s call for a full public inquiry remains unchanged

The Argus (Dundalk), 11 November 2005: “We’re overjoyed all we wanted was truth of killing to emerge”

The Argus (Dundalk), 11 November 2005: Gardai were ordered to ‘abandon’ plans to interview four suspects

Daily Ireland, 16 November 2005: Finucanes call for lawsuit

Visit The Irish News; The Argus Daily Ireland

Copyright © 2005 the Ludlow family. All rights reserved.

Revised: November 18, 2005 .