Motorist Killed in Ulster Traffic; IRA Mistake Suspected
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BELFAST, Northern Ireland — Suspected Irish Republican Army gunmen opened fire Thursday on a car stuck in traffic in a market town, killing the driver in what may have been a case of mistaken identity, authorities said.
Police said that the victim, who was not immediately identified, was not a member of the security forces but that the gunmen may have believed he was an off-duty soldier or policeman.
Officers sealed off the area for two hours to check for booby traps in the bullet-riddled car in Newry, an IRA stronghold 30 miles south of Belfast near the border with the Irish Republic. None were found.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
Police, however, said they suspected that the gunmen belonged to the outlawed IRA.
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