The family of murdered Belfast man Robert McCartney say they are considering taking their campaign to the United States.Catherine McCartney said members of the family were now considering travelling to Washington to engage the support of US politicians and Irish-American figures for their "Justice for Robert" campaign.
Meanwhile PSNI detectives released without charge a man from the Short Strand area of Belfast last night who they had been questioning in Antrim police station about the murder. The 29-year-old man was arrested after he made himself available to police yesterday.
He is not one of the three IRA members expelled from the organisation, according to sources.
Two of the three men expelled from the IRA moved South for a brief period but returned to Belfast on IRA instructions, local sources said.
The McCartney family said last night that potential witnesses who could help convict Robert's killers were being intimidated or were being instructed to give concocted testimony to the police.
Catherine McCartney said she knew from local people that some of those involved in the murder were telling witnesses that if they went to the police, they must make invented statements or statements that could not incriminate the perpetrators.
"There is no point in people coming forward, giving their name and date of birth, saying that yes, they were in the bar at the time but that they did not see anything because they were in the toilet when Robert was killed," said Ms McCartney.
PSNI chief constable Hugh Orde effectively supported Ms McCartney's claim yesterday. He told reporters that Sinn Féin's call for people to support the McCartneys was yielding little practical results.
"My concern is that it is very easy for people to turn up at a police station. But if people turn up, under arrest or as witnesses, and feel unable to say anything, we have not moved on," he said.
Mr Orde said at a press conference yesterday that police were "pursuing a number of people who are currently outside the jurisdiction". Later yesterday evening, the police issued a statement saying "this was no longer the case".
Belfast City Council last night discussed an SDLP motion condemning the killing and urging witnesses to go to the police. Sinn Féin tabled an amendment to the motion that supported the family but, according to Sinn Féin councillor Joe O'Donnell, "reflected the reality" that many within the community would not go to the PSNI.
In London yesterday, Sinn Féin's chief negotiator, Martin McGuinness, said: "Some people are saying 'Why doesn't Sinn Féin hand these people over?' Do they want Sinn Féin to go out and abduct people and then Sinn Féin is in even more trouble?
"Do they want the IRA to abduct people, and then the IRA is in more trouble? The key to all of this has to be the satisfaction of the demands being made by the McCartney family."
Meanwhile, Sinn Féin is expected to be isolated in the Dáil tonight as the Government and other parties support a Fine Gael motion deploring the killing and calling on witnesses to co-operate with the PSNI.
Sinn Féin will attempt to amend the Fine Gael motion. Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin TD said that while his party supported its thrust, the final paragraph restricted the means by which information might be brought forward to help bring the killers to justice.
The paragraph in the Fine Gael motion "calls on all public representatives to actively encourage those with knowledge of this crime to come forward and give statements to the investigating police".
