Loyalist terrorists today denied issuing death threats against the family of murdered Belfast paramilitary Mr Alan McCullough.
The one-time close associate of jailed terror chief Johnny Adair was killed and dumped in a shallow grave by the Ulster Defence Association (UDA).
His brother Kenny said police had told him the organisation was now targeting him, his mother Barbara and four sisters because they co-operated with a massive hunt for the body.
But the paramilitary group claimed in a statement today that pledges had been made to the McCulloughs that their lives were not in danger.
It said: "The Ulster Defence Association had given full assurances prior to the funeral of their family member that under no circumstances was the family under any threat of violence or death".
Mr Frank McCoubrey, a loyalist councillor and member of the UDA-linked Ulster Political Research Group, also claimed he had been given promises there would be no further attacks.
"I spoke to people within the organisation and told them I was disgusted by the so-called threat," he said. "They gave me a cast-iron guarantee that under no circumstances has any threat been made or will any threat be issued against this family".
Mr McCullough (21) was buried yesterday - a fortnight after he was murdered by the UDA because of his alleged role in the assassination of paramilitary commander John Gregg.
Two senior Belfast loyalists, Mr William "Mo" Courtney (39) and Mr Ihab Shoukri (29), have been charged with killing Mr McCullough and membership of the UDA's military wing, the Ulster Freedom Fighters. Both deny the charges.
PA