Irish police are to ask their American counterparts to extradite two suspects in the murder of Detective Adrian Donohoe.

The pair are currently in the US on holiday visas and have been interviewed on American soil by Irish officers.

Police in Ireland are now confident that the pair will be extradited when their holiday visas expire.
They want to question them again about the murder of the father of two at the Lordship Credit Union in County Louth last January.

The FBI have liaised with Irish police on the case and set up a recent meeting with the suspects in New York.

Detective Donohoe was gunned down when he confronted a gang on rural roads near his home on the Cooley peninsula as he accompanied cash transits from the local credit unions.

Police believe the gang responsible is from the South Armagh area.The Irish Independent newspaper reports that the suspects were compelled to meet with Irish police under U.S. law.

But the report states that they refused to answer any questions put to them by Irish officers in the presence of American police.

A police source told the paper: “Time is running out for these nasty individuals – they again showed their contempt for their actions when they met gardai (police) in the United States.

“But they know and gardai (police) know that time is ticking away for them in relation to their holiday visas running out. If or when they are deported they can be arrested by either the Police Service of Northern Ireland or gardai.

“It is highly unlikely that there will be any major developments in relation to this investigation before the anniversary of Adrian’s death on January 25 next, but things could move with real pace after that.”

The report adds that the suspects, who include the criminal believed to have fired the shotgun at the detective, cannot be extradited unless Ireland’s Director of Public Prosecutions rules that they should face criminal charges. But the paper says they can be deported if they overstay their visas.