The brother of a man abducted by a gang in Co Down said today he believed republicans were behind it.
Mr Brendan Rice was taken from his home in Newcastle by three masked men and bundled into a van last night.
His brother Sean appealed to those responsible to release him without harm. "I have lost a brother already from an abduction through loyalist paramilitaries and would call on the republican movement to show a bit of heart and return him safely," he said.
Mr Rice was held down and beaten at his Burrendale Park Road home before being bound and taken away .
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Police in Downpatrick have appealed for anyone with information to contact them immediately.
PA