Telegraph Feb. 27, 2005 Man held after IRA expels three over father's killing By Julie Henry (Filed: 27/02/2005) Police arrested a man yesterday in connection with the murder of Robert  McCartney, 33, a Roman Catholic believed to have been killed by IRA  members in a pub brawl. The arrest came after the man went to Musgrave Street police station in  Belfast with his solicitor. Earlier yesterday, Mr McCartney's family had appealed to all those  involved in the events leading to his killing in a Belfast bar on  January 30 - and a subsequent attempt to clean the bar of evidence - to  come forward. This followed a decision by the IRA on Friday to expel three members in  connection with the murder. The IRA said one of the three had gone to a  solicitor after the incident to make a statement on his actions that  night. It advised the other two "in the strongest terms possible" to  come forward and take responsibility for their actions. It was unclear  whether one of the three members went to the police station in Belfast  yesterday, or whether it was another person. The family's statement said: "We welcome the fact that the IRA has  accepted unequivocally that their members were involved in Robert's  cold-blooded murder and the subsequent cover and clean-up operation. "We acknowledge that they have taken action against particular members  in the form of expulsions and are in the process of conducting their  own procedures against others involved. The statement confirms what our  family has maintained all along that Robert was a completely innocent  man." The family insisted, however, that more people must come forward  to help the investigation into the forklift driver's stabbing. The IRA expulsions follow unprecedented criticism of the organisation  by the man's family, led by his sister, Paula McCartney. There has been  revulsion within the republican community over the murder, prompting  graffiti to appear in nationalist areas, reading: "PIRA [Provisional  IRA] scum out." Mr McCartney, the father of two young sons, was a Sinn Fein voter and a  well-liked member of the republican community. His family have received  widespread praise for their defiance of the Provisionals, who are  accused of launching a campaign of intimidating witnesses to the  murder. His killers are alleged to have included a senior figure in the  IRA, a Provisional IRA hitman and five other republicans. Earlier  yesterday, Gerry Adams, the Sinn Fein leader, piled pressure on those  involved in the incident to come forward. Mr McCartney was in Magennis's Bar in central Belfast when a group of  men entered, having returned from the Bloody Sunday commemorations in  Londonderry. A row flared and his throat was slashed with a bottle. A  knife and metal bars were also used in the attack. The pub's doors were then allegedly locked while it was cleaned of  evidence. More than 70 people in the bar were allegedly warned to  remain silent.