A man (57) has been charged with kidnapping and falsely imprisoning British army captain, Robert Nairac, who was shot dead by the IRA in 1977.
Captain Robert Nairac
The man, who was arrested in the Jonesborough area of south Armagh yesterday, is due before Newry Magistrates' Court tomorrow morning.
It is understood detectives investigating the case will also send a murder file to the North's Public Prosecution Service for consideration.
Captain Nairac, a controversial British army intelligence officer who allegedly colluded with loyalist paramilitaries and supplied information to republicans, was abducted from the Three Steps Inn at Drumintee in south Armagh on May 14th, 1977, after engaging with locals and singing a number of republican songs.
One republican source claimed that suspicions initially were raised because at least one of the songs he sang was associated with the "Official" IRA, which did not operate in south Armagh, rather than the "Provisional" IRA, which did and which was opposed to the "Officials".
His gun was seized during a struggle outside the pub.
Capt Nairac was interrogated and beaten both at the scene and later across the Border at Ravensdale, where he was shot. One of his abductors pretended to be a priest in order to hear his "confession". He didn't break under this pressure, asserting that he was a Belfast republican before he was shot.
His body was never recovered and he is listed as one of the "disappeared". One report suggested that his body was disposed of at a meat processing plant in Co Louth.
Six men have been convicted for their part in the killing, three of them for murder.
The murder of Capt Nairac is one of the key cases that the Historical Enquiries Team (Het) is investigating. The Het, which is examining some 2,000 unsolved murders of the troubles in co-operation with the PSNI, is understood to be considering seeking the extradition of two of the remaining murder suspects from the United States.
The investigation was also focusing on a third individual who was believed to be living in south Armagh under an assumed name, according to security sources.
