Main suspect in Kevin Lunney abduction investigation dies during search of his home

A man in his 50s is believed to have taken ill during a search of his home on Friday.

The main suspect in an investigation into the abduction and torture of Kevin Lunney has died during a police search of his home in Derbyshire on Friday. It is believed the suspect, a man in his 50s, took ill while his home was searched by the Derbyshire Constabulary, which formed part of a coordinated search operation across a number of domestic dwellings and business premises in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland and one premises in the United Kingdom on Friday. Garda Commissioner Drew Harris and PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hamilton are due to comment on the investigation at a briefing at Garda Headquarters in Dublin on Friday. Over 100 members of An Garda Síochána took part in the search operation, a number which included Regional Support Units, National Support Service (NSS) Dog Units, the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (NBCI), the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (DOCB) and the National Public Order Unit. Lunney, a senior executive in Quinn Industrial Holdings, was kidnapped and tortured by a gang in September. In a BBC Spotlight interview aired earlier this week, he detailed his harrowing ordeal following his abduction, saying that he had the letters ‘QIH’ (Quinn Industrial Holdings) carved into his chest with a Stanley knife, that he had bleach poured on his body and that he had his leg broken in two places. An excerpt of Lunney’s interview can be seen below, although readers should be warned that it includes graphic details that some may find upsetting. https://twitter.com/BBCSpotlightNI/status/1191856534076239872