Det Garda Adrian Donohoe blasted to death with a shotgun in January

THE PSNI’s Serious Crime Branch has carried out a number of searches in south Armagh in connection with the murder of Garda Detective Adrian Donohoe.

The 41-year-old officer was blasted to death with a shotgun in January during a robbery at a credit union in Bellurgan, near Dundalk.

The gang, which included a 16-year-old girl, travelled into Northern Ireland in a stolen car after the attack.

It was found abandoned and burnt out in Fews Forest, outside Newtownhamilton in County Armagh.

No arrests were reported during Monday’s PSNI operation which police said was in support of the Garda investigation.

It is believed a number of houses were searched.

Det Garda Donohoe, a father of two, was the first member of the force to be shot dead on duty since the murder of Det Garda Jerry McCabe in 1996.

The murder of Det Garda Donohoe prompted one of the biggest Garda investigations in the country’s history.

Officers believe they know the identity of the gang involved but are still trying to gather forensic evidence to connect them to the murder which outraged people in the Republic.