Kevin Lunney abduction: Claim that ex-IRA man led intimidation gang

Although attacks against Quinn Industrial Holdings have been ongoing since 2014, District Commander Supt Beatty was unable to elaborate on the motives of those responsible, telling journalists he was still keeping “an open mind”.

Asked what the gang had said to Mr Lunney, Mr Beatty confirmed he had spoken with Mr Lunney but said the matter was still under investigation and that he was unable to disclose anything further.

A reliable source has told the News Letter that “a local IRA man of some standing” had led the campaign of intimidation from the start.

“He never moved over to the dissidents, he went more into organised crime while continuing his part in this campaign,” he said.

He added that “a wall of silence” in the community was protecting the suspect.

Another reliable source said a key suspect was from the local area and was involved in local racketeering.

Mr Beatty said they were “using all our force and might to bring to justice those people” who are responsible.

Challenged as to why police had yet to make one arrest regarding the attacks, he said there were a number of live inquiries about attacks over the past two years, which he could not discuss further.

In a statement yesterday, the Quinn family said they were “absolutely horrified to hear of the terrible ordeal which Kevin Lunney has endured, and our thoughts are with Kevin and his family”.

“We have had no involvement in the Quinn Group for several years now and are deeply frustrated and angered that our former ownership of those businesses is being associated in any way to such abhorrent acts,” they said.

Quinn Industrial Holdings said Mr Lunney sustained a broken leg and range of other very severe, but non-life threatening injuries.

Chairman Adrian Barden said the incident was an “outrageous attack on a hard-working father of six”.

“Like many of his colleagues, I am frustrated and angry that more has not been done to protect Kevin, who will require some considerable time to recover from the very severe injuries sustained in this brutal attack.”

He said he had previously warned that serious injury and loss of life would be inevitable from the increasingly serious attacks on senior employees.

He called on police north and south “to act quickly and decisively to prevent an inevitable loss of life”.

DUP leader Arlene Foster condemned the assault and said it was “totally abhorrent”, while local Sinn Fein MP Michelle Gildernew also strongly condemned the attacks and called for them to stop immediately.

Mr Lunney was a close associate of Sean Quinn and worked with him in his attempts to regain control of the Quinn Group business empire that collapsed in 2012, after Mr Quinn made a disastrous investment in Anglo Irish Bank, the BBC reported. There were a series of attacks in 2014 on property belonging to the new owners.

After a buyout by local businessmen, Mr Lunney and other former colleagues were brought back into the manufacturing business and Mr Quinn was employed as a consultant.

But Mr Quinn left amid accusations he had been “stabbed in the back” and since then there has been a new wave of attacks, threats and intimidation, all of which he has strongly condemned.