Martin O'Hagan murder: secret terror deal claims

CLAIMS were made in the recent Panorama programme Britain's Secret Terror Deals, (on the BBC iPlayer until 2016) regarding the September 2001 murder of Sunday World journalist Martin O'Hagan, who was Secretary of NUJ Belfast and District Branch. He is believed to be the only journalist murdered in Northern Ireland. (See the full story here.)

Citing "extraordinary evidence," Panorama alleged the murder of O'Hagan was "among the cases where state and paramilitary collusion is alleged to have been covered up" according to the Independent. The Police Ombudsman's report into Martin O'Hagan's death was delayed because the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) refused to hand over "crucial" intelligence files, eventually released when Ombudsman Dr Michael Maguire threatened to take the PSNI to court. His eight-year investigation into Martin O'Hagan's death is ongoing, noted the Independent.

George Hamilton, Chief Constable of the PSNI, said he "entirely refuted" Panorama's suggestion that officers colluded with Mr O'Hagan's killers.