The loyalist paramilitary group the Red Hand Defenders has claimed responsibility for the murder of a Catholic postal worker in Belfast early this morning.
They said they now considered all Catholic postal workers to be "legitimate targets". Security sources said they believed the UDA was responsible.
The man in his 20s was reporting for work at Barna Square sorting office in Rathcoole, north Belfast when he was approached by two masked gunmen at around 4.45 a.m. and shot a number of times.
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The men made off from the the scene in a green Renault 19 car which was later discovered burnt out nearby in Glynpark.
The man was taken to hospital where he was declared dead shortly before 8 a.m.
The murdered man was named locally as Mr Daniel Stephen McColgan, who lived with his partner and their baby daughter at Longlands Court in Newtownabbey, Co Antrim. He also worked part-time as a DJ.
The Royal Mail said they were "deeply shocked and saddened" by the murder and pledged to do everything possible to support the victim's family and colleagues.
Detective Superintendent Roy Suitter, who is leading the hunt for the murder gang, said the killing was a tragic event.
"There is no reason he should be targeted, just the simple fact that he was Catholic," he said.