BELFAST, Nothern Ireland -- The outlawed Irish Republican Army said Friday it killed a Protestant as he reported for work because he belonged to an outlawed paramilitary group.
A Royal Ulster Constabulary spokesman said Gary Lynch was an election worker for the Ulster Democratic Party, a small political organization with close ties to Protestant paramilitary groups.
Lynch was shot as he reported for work at a meat processing plant in Londonderry, 75 miles northwest of Belfast, the RUC spokesman said.
Four or five shots were fired at Lynch as he got out of his car in the Waterside district of the city, police said.
In a statement delivered to a Belfast newspaper, the IRA claimed responsibility for the killing, saying the victim was a member of the outlawed Ulster Freedom Fighters.
The leader of the UDP, Cecil McKnight, was shot and killed by the IRA in Londonderry in June.
The IRA seeks to oust British forces from Northern Ireland and unite it with the Irish Republic.
