Sligo murders latest
Gardaí are investigating a potential hate-related motive in the murders of two men who may have met their killer online.
Officers have launched two separate murder investigations following the violent deaths of Aidan Moffitt (42) and Michael Snee (58) in Sligo town.
Both men were found dead in their own homes this week having suffered extensive injuries.
A man in his 20s was arrested on suspicion of murder after the discovery of Mr Snee’s body in his apartment on Connaughton Road at around 10.30pm on Tuesday evening.
The suspect, who was detained in Sligo town at around 1.45am on Wednesday morning, remains in custody this afternoon.
Mr Moffitt’s body was discovered in his house in Cartron Heights at around 8.30pm on Monday.
Garda Chief Superintendent Aidan Glacken said gardaí were keeping an “open mind” in regard to motivation. According to a report in The Irish Times, officers believe the two men were killed by a man they met on an online dating app and are investigating if there was a homophobic element to the crimes.
Read: Timeline of how the two killings in Sligo unfolded
Gardaí examine another incident
Supt Glacken said officers were examining another recent incident in the Sligo area as part of the murder probes.
“I am appealing to any person who may have been subject to any unwanted approaches or who was assaulted or otherwise attacked to contact the incident room at Sligo Garda station,” he added.
“I have a dedicated diversity team here, we need to hear from you, we are here to listen to you and we are here to support you.”
Mr Glacken said substantial Garda resources were being deployed to the investigations, with regional and national units involved.
Political reaction
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee branded the murders as “atrocious crimes”.
“I’ve spoken to the Garda commissioner [Drew Harris] this morning and he has assured me that every effort is being made to make sure that whoever or whomever was responsible for these crimes that they are brought to justice,” she said.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin expressed his concern at the killings. “I urge anyone with any information to contact gardaí,” he tweeted.
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said: “What happened is unspeakable and hard to fathom.”
Paula Fagan, chief executive of LGBT Ireland, said the country was shocked by the “heinous crimes” in Sligo and called it a “dark week” for the LGBTI+ community in Ireland.
“We are still reeling from the vicious homophobic assault on Dame Street in Dublin in recent days and now we are deeply saddened by events in Sligo. Our thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones,” she said.
