Four men, believed to be brothers, were being treated for burns at St James's Hospital in Dublin last night as gardaí and the PSNI investigated a possible link to the attack in Co Armagh on Monday when a man and woman were seriously burned in an arson attack.
The woman was in a critical condition last night and the man in a serious condition after they were doused with flammable liquid and set alight in an attack on Monday night near Keady, Co Armagh.
Police and politicians said the 21-year-old woman was "fighting for her life" after the attack which caused widespread shock and revulsion. "We are assisting the PSNI in any way we can," a Garda spokesman said.
The Armagh couple were attacked by a gang of five or six men at about 8.45pm at their home at Foley Road in Tassagh between Keady and Markethill, according to the PSNI. Both they and the house were doused with flammable liquid, which was then set alight by the gang.
The woman, who was enveloped in flames, managed to run up the road to a neighbouring house to raise the alarm and have the flames extinguished, locals said. Neighbours dragged the man (33) from the burning house, which was destroyed in the fire.
Police said they were following a definite line of inquiry and were treating the incident as attempted murder. They said the attack did not appear to have been motivated by robbery, racism or sectarianism. They said they had not ruled out paramilitary involvement but that "it was not a major line of inquiry".
The woman is said to be from the Portadown area and had been living with the man, who is separated from his wife, for more than a year.
SDLP councillor Sharon Haughey, who is from the area, said such a form of "vigilantism" could not be tolerated.
"This was an absolutely barbaric attack. Whatever reason those responsible try to use as a justification for this attack, we must be very clear that no one has the right to act as judge, jury and prosecutor by taking the law into their own hands," she said. The PSNI chief investigating officer, Det Insp David McConville, said a vigilante attack was one of the lines of inquiry.
Sinn Féin MP for Newry and Armagh Conor Murphy condemned the attack as disgraceful, wrong and unacceptable.
Ulster Unionist Party deputy leader Danny Kennedy said the attack was utterly barbaric. "What sort of people can sink so low as to set fire to others?" he said.
