Police on both sides of the Border were by yesterday evening increasingly sure that the two men whose bodies were found in a ditch near Warrenpoint, Co Down, were foreign.
The bodies were discovered in thick undergrowth on the Mound Road, on the edge of Warrenpoint Golf Club. They were removed yesterday for post-mortems and a forensic examination.
The men, who may have been murdered up to a month ago, are said to be of foreign appearance and dress. Preliminary post-mortem examinations suggested both died from extensive head wounds. Both also appeared to have been stabbed. The growing suspicion yesterday was that they may have been sailors on board one of the cargo ships that have docked at Warrenpoint in the past month to six weeks.
No motive for the murders was established yesterday, and it is not likely that the PSNI will have any idea of the reason behind the deaths until the bodies are identified. Garda and Interpol are working closely with the PSNI in the murder investigation.
A local SDLP Assembly member, Mr P.J. Bradley, said the community was baffled by the murders."There is no one missing in the area, no one reported missing even throughout Northern Ireland, and there is no indication whatsoever about the reason or the cause for these murders," he said.