Further Arrest Following Murder of Soldiers
15 Mar 2009
Detectives investigating the murder of two soldiers and the attempted murders of five others at Masserene barracks arrested a man on the evening of Saturday 14 March in the Antrim area.
On the morning of Saturday 14 March three men were arrested in the Lurgan and Bellaghy areas in relation to the murders. A number of searches also took place.
On Sunday 15 March all four men were continuing to assist police with their enquiries.
Police also revisited the scene on Saturday 14 March as part of their ongoing investigation.
Sappers Mark Quinsey and Patrick Azimkar were shot dead outside the barracks on Saturday 7 March. Two colleagues were also injured in the attack, as were two civilians delivering pizza to the base. Another soldier, who was close by, narrowly escaped injury.
Detective Superintendent Peter Farrar, the Senior Investigating Officer in the case, said the incident was a 'barbaric attack': "We now know that Sappers Quinsey and Azimkar had ordered pizza only hours before they were due to be posted overseas. They, along with two of their colleagues and two civilians were cut down in a hail of bullets. A third soldier, who was with them, escaped being shot by the terrorists. This can only be described as a bloodthirsty attempt at mass murder.
"The right-minded law-abiding citizens of Northern Ireland are disgusted by this attack and they are making their voices heard. We all want these killers taken off the streets so they do not take up an opportunity to murder again" said the detective.
"We revisited two scenes to make an appeal for the public to help us. In particular, we want to speak to the driver of a large, rigid bodied horse lorry, which passed Masserene shortly before the shooting, on the Randalstown Road. We strongly believe that the blue/green Vauxhall Cavalier - registration TDZ 7309 - that was used by the killers to attack the barracks, may have overtaken this lorry.
"My second appeal is in relation to an industrial estate across the road from Masserene. If you were there at any stage on Saturday 7 March, we would like to hear from you so you can tell us what you saw," said the Superintendent.
The investigation team also visited Ranaghan Road near Randalstown, which is almost eight miles away from the murder scene, where the killers abandoned the Vauxhall Cavalier and may have been taken away in one or more vehicles.
"This is the car that stopped outside Masserene. Two men got out and opened fire with what we now believe were automatic weapons. It then left the scene and stopped at Ranaghan Road. The murderers made an unsuccessful attempt to destroy this car by setting it on fire. As a result, we now have a number of forensic opportunities that we are exploring," said Detective Superintendent Farrar.
Anyone who has information on the attack at Masserene Barracks, or has knowledge of the Vauxhall Cavalier, is asked to contact Detectives at 02894481641. Alternatively they can call the Crimestoppers number charity anonymously on 0800 555 111.
