Donaldson died of shotgun blast to chest
A post mortem has confirmed that former British agent Denis Donaldson died of a shotgun blast to the chest.
The examination has also showed that 55-year-old ex-Sinn Féin official sustained at least one more gunshot wound, which caused severe damage to his right hand.
Mr Donaldson, who admitted in December that he had been spying on Sinn Féin for 20 years, was found shot dead at the isolated cottage where he had been living in Glenties, Co Donegal, on Tuesday night.
His killing is expected to effectively scupper a new initiative to restore power-sharing due to be announced by the Taoiseach and the British prime minister today.
The IRA has denied any involvement in the murder, but the DUP is already using it to back up its stance that the republican movement has not walked away from violence.
Reports this morning said that, while gardaí were officially keeping an open mind in their investigation, sources had indicated that republicans were the prime suspects.
However, if republicans were involved, they could be dissidents or renegade members of the Provisional IRA acting without the authorisation of the organisation's leadership.
The possibility that Mr Donaldson may have been murdered by his former British intelligence handlers has also not been ruled out.
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