A man has appeared in court to be extradited to Northern Ireland to face trial for the murder of three police officers at Kinnego Embankment in 1982 following an investigation by the Kenova team.
Martin McCauley, 61, was arrested by officers from An Garda Siochana in the Republic of Ireland last night. He appeared at the Extradition High Court in Dublin this morning (Thursday) where he was remanded into custody ahead of a further hearing on Wednesday.
A decision has been taken by the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) to prosecute him in connection with the murders of Sergeant Sean Quinn and Constables Allan McCloy and Paul Hamilton who were members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary killed in an explosion on Kinnego Embankment in County Armagh on 27 October 1982. The murders have been investigated by Kenova since 2019 under Operation Turma.
Officer in Overall Command of Kenova, Sir Iain Livingstone said: “The Public Prosecution Service has decided to prosecute Martin McCauley with the murders of the three officers and he has now been arrested pending extradition to Northern Ireland.
“The decision to prosecute more than 40 years after the incident show the rigour and application Kenova has applied to this investigation and that evidence will now be tested by a court.
"Our thoughts remain with the three officers’ families who have continued to act with courage and great dignity over the past four decades."
Any criminal proceedings in Northern Ireland will be supported by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Legacy Investigation Branch.
A spokesperson for the Public Prosecution Service said: “Following careful consideration of all the available evidence in a file submitted by Operation Kenova, the PPS took a decision to prosecute one individual in relation to the 1982 murders of Sergeant Sean Quinn and Constables Allan McCloy and Paul Hamilton.
“As proceedings are live it would not be appropriate to comment further.”