Directors of Quinn Industrial Holdings (QIH) will hold a meeting with the Garda Commissioner tomorrow seeking an update on the investigation into death threats and assaults against the company’s senior executives.

Six weeks ago, Kevin Lunney was abducted near his Fermanagh home and held for more than two hours, but no arrests have yet been made.

This, along with a range of issues from death threats to individuals ‘inciting hatred’ at public meetings, are expected to be raised with Garda chief Drew Harris tomorrow.

“We’re looking for criminality in the area to be dealt with at every level, right the way down to people sitting at meetings making hate speeches, defamation or inflammation,” director John McCartin told the Irish Independent. “People were allowed to do this publicly and never questioned, they were allowed deliver threats personally to us and never questioned.”

It comes as a masked thug pictured reading out the latest death threats has been identified as a dissident republican. The man, who is originally from Northern Ireland but now living in the Cavan area, has been named as a suspect by a number of people who recognised him after the image and threat were sent to the ‘Irish News’ and later published.

The PSNI previously said it was examining the picture as part of its wider investigation into the threats. After it was issued, the five QIH directors were formally warned by police services on both sides of the Border of credible threats against them.

It led to armed gardaí being placed near the homes of senior executives while the PSNI has also held an armed presence near QIH buildings in Northern Ireland.

Over the weekend it also emerged that a Cavan priest, who blamed a “mafia-style group” for involvement in the attack on Mr Lunney, is upgrading security at his parish home.

Fr Oliver O’Reilly, the parish priest of Ballyconnell, told the ‘Sunday Independent’ he is increasing his security “because the more you speak out, the more you put yourself at risk”.

The outspoken cleric said he is also stepping back from further public comment in the hope of fostering peace but will be back if the campaign of intimidation against the Quinn companies and the QIH directors continues.

“I find that in the last month, a whole lot of things have happened. I want to take a back seat for a while. If there is further intimidation, I intend to return to the fray,” he said.

Last week, gardaí were required to remove an inflammatory poster directed at QIH directors after Cavan County Council refused to, citing threats to the safety of its staff.

The sign had been in place for more than a year and the Garda Commissioner said it would be removed with “specialist help” if needed. In a statement, QIH welcomed the removal.

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