Two men and a 68-year-old woman have been arrested in connection with the machete killing of a man as he slept beside his pregnant wife.
John Joseph Mongan (30) was attacked in his bedroom by a group of men wielding hatchets and machetes who forced their way into his house in Belfast at about 2am yesterday.
His wife Julie, who was overdue and due to be induced yesterday, later gave birth to a son. She suffered a head wound in the attack and was reported to be traumatised by the events, although her injury was described as not serious.
The couple's two other sons were in the west Belfast house at the time and are thought to have witnessed the attack. They are now understood to be in the care of relatives.
Police investigating the murder at Fallswater Street in west Belfast are also forensically examining Mr Mongan's car which is thought to have been damaged by his killers as they fled the scene.
Police appealed for calm in the area, which is close to the Royal hospitals, and called for local people, civic and community leaders to continue to help them in their investigation.
Within hours of the murder two men, one aged 32 and the other 37, were arrested and taken for questioning in separate operations in Derry, 75 miles away.
Later, a 68-year-old woman was also detained in another arrest operation, also in Derry.
Mr Mongan was a member of the Traveller community and had lived at the Fallswater address for only a matter of months.
His brother said last night he had been "murdered in his bed for nothing".
Family friend Derek Hanway, director of a local Traveller centre, said: "Nobody can say what the motive is for this, but for a woman to see her husband murdered in such an awful fashion, and then having to go through the ordeal of having a baby just hours later . . ."
He said the birth was overdue and the murder victim's wife was due to keep a hospital appointment yesterday .
"It was the viciousness of this attack - the viciousness - which has really stunned people," he said.
"Nobody should die like this. We are all horrified and appalled." Those responsible were "absolute animals," he added.
West Belfast MP Gerry Adams extended his "deepest sympathy to the murdered man's wife, who was also injured in the attack, and their family".
Mr Adams said: "This was a vicious and cruel murder of a young man in front of his pregnant wife.
"The local community in Iveagh is deeply shocked by this murder. I would appeal to anyone with information to bring it forward to the PSNI."
Last night, a police spokesman thanked community representatives for their assistance and called for them "to remain in contact".
The PSNI declined to comment on suggestions locally that the murder was linked to other crimes or to a lingering dispute involving a group of people.
It said it had no comment to make other than that the investigation was "making progress".