THE UDA is being blamed for the murder on Friday night of a Catholic father of seven children, Mr John Slane. Loyalist sources have revealed that, while the UDA is believed to have been responsible for the shooting, it was a case of mistaken identity.
Mr Slane (44), was making a bottle of milk for his twin baby daughters in the kitchen of his Thames Court home when he was shot by a gunman.
A source said the UDA had accepted Mr Slane was completely innocent. It is understood the loyalist group had intended to kill a man associated with the INLA and who had lived in the Broadway area.
The INLA issued a statement yesterday warning that it would not allow loyalists to enter nationalist areas on cross community work. It accused loyalist activists of using grassroots projects as a cover for intelligence gathering. "From today, no representatives of the fringe loyalist or unionist parties can be permitted to participate in activities or functions based in nationalist areas."
Condemnation of Mr Slane's murder has been widespread. The British Security Minister, Sir John Wheeler, urged "restraint". He described it as a "criminal act" which "achieves nothing other than to push Northern Ireland further in the direction of increasing violence. The way forward for the people of Northern Ireland is through the ballot box, not through the barrel of a gun."
The SDLP MP for the area, Dr Joe Hendron, visited the family shortly after the murder, which he described as a "cowardly act". He said: "I'm afraid I didn't know Mr Slane, although I do know members of his family. By all accounts he was universally known as a devoted father and husband who just lived for his family."
Mr Reg Empey, of the Ulster Unionist Party, said his murder had to be "totally condemned. If it was carried out by loyalists, then Sinn Fein have succeeded in their principal short term objective of provoking a backlash."
Mr David Adams, of the Ulster Democratic Party, which has close links with the UDA and UFF, said the murder did nothing to further the loyalist position.
Progressive Unionist Party representative Mr David Ervine said: "It would deeply, deeply disappoint me if it were loyalists."
The Sinn Fein president, Mr Gerry Adams, said the murder was part of an ongoing loyalist campaign of violence: "The Dublin Government cannot go on turning a blind eye to that."
Ms Annie Campbell, of the Women's Coalition, said she was "appalled by the spectre of violence that the brutal murder of John Slane has summoned up this weekend. The Coalition believed that the intransigence of the DUP and its ally, the UK Unionist Party, together with the weakness of the current British government and the lack of will within the IRA to call a ceasefire, had all contributed to the apparent failure of current political processes. If further violence was to be averted, then confidence in politics must be rebuilt.