Death
On 4 April 2006, Donaldson was found shot dead inside his cottage, where he had been living for several months. The extended Donaldson family had used it as a holiday retreat for several years. Gardaí (Irish police) said they had been aware of his presence since January and they had warned him of a threat to his life. They had offered him protection and exchanged phone numbers with him. The cottage was located in the townland of Classey, 8 km from village of Glenties on the road to Doochary, County Donegal, Republic of Ireland.
The last person he is believed to have spoken to is Tim Cranley, a census taker, who spoke to him in the cottage around 8.30 p.m. on the previous day. His body was found by Gardaí about 5 p.m. after a passer-by reported seeing a broken window and a smashed-in door. Chief Superintendent Terry McGinn, the local Garda Commander, said that the cottage belonged to Donaldson's "son in law Ciaran Kearney" and that members of his family had been visiting him in the days before his death.
A statement by Northern Ireland Secretary of State Peter Hain, referred to his death as a "barbaric act", while Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern condemned "the brutal murder" of Donaldson. Two shotgun cartridges were found at the threshold of the cottage and a post mortem revealed that he had died from a shotgun blast to the chest. Irish Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform Michael McDowell initially said that Donaldson had been shot in the head.
His right hand was also badly damaged by gunshot. The Provisional IRA issued a one-line statement saying that it had "no involvement whatsoever" with the murder. The murder was also condemned by Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams. The Democratic Unionist Party leader Ian Paisley blamed republicans for the killing, saying that "eyes will be turned towards IRA/Sinn Féin on this issue". In May 2005, Minister McDowell advised a US Special Envoy to Northern Ireland that he believed the outing of Donaldson as an informant was a clear message from the British Government that it had another, more valuable, source of information within the republican leadership. On 8 April 2006 Donaldson was buried in Belfast City Cemetery, rather than at Milltown Cemetery, the more common burial place for republicans.
In February 2009, Gardaí announced they had a new lead in the inquiry into his death. On 12 April 2009, the Real IRA claimed responsibility for his death.
In April 2011, 2 arrests were made in County Donegal connection with the murder - a 69 year old man and a 31 year old man. They were subsequently released without charge.
Read more about this topic: Denis Donaldson
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