PSNI questioning two over loyalist murder

Two men remain in PSNI custody after being arrested in Belfast yesterday in connection with a police investigation into the murder…

Two men remain in PSNI custody after being arrested in Belfast yesterday in connection with a police investigation into the murder of an associate of the Loyalist Volunteer Force in east Belfast.

The men were detained by detectives investigating the murder of James Lockhart (25), from Flush Road in the Ballysillan area of north Belfast.

He was shot dead on Friday morning in the cab of his lorry outside the demolished Avenue One Bar on the busy Newtownards Road.

Mr Lockhart, from Flush Road in the Ballysillan area of north Belfast, is believed to have had links to the Loyalist Volunteer Force, and the rival Ulster Volunteer Force was suspected by police of shooting him.

Detectives said after the killing on Friday that a loyalist feud could not be ruled out.

Mr Lockhart and another man were sitting in a lorry outside the bar on the Newtownards Road when a gunman approached and opened fire.

The other man managed to jump out and run off and Mr Lockhart got the lorry moving before crashing into a lamp-post beside a loyalist mural. The gunman moved in again and opened fire, killing him

  • Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date

  • Sign up for push alerts to get the best breaking news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone

  • Listen to In The News podcast daily for a deep dive on the stories that matter