Man arrested as murder enquiry launched in Antrim after body find

An Antrim councillor has called for an end to social media speculation over a murder in the town.

Paul Dunlop said the town’s community had been left in a state of shock.

A murder enquiry has been launched after a man's body was found on Thursday.

Detectives from the PSNI's Major Investigation Team are leading the investigation following an incident in Craighill area of the town.

No details about the victim or the circumstances surrounding his death have been released.

However, UTV understands that the victim, believed to be aged in his 30s or 40s, had lived in the area for the last number of years.

DUP councillor for the area, Paul Dunlop, said there was a real sense of shock at what's happened.

"Word came through this morning of an incident. And that turned into a man has lost his life,” he said.

“And now it's a murder inquiry. So you can imagine there's a sense of shock. People just don't know what to think of it.

“Ballycraigy is a quiet area and there's a good sense of community within it. People have worked hard over the last few years building a strong community."

Councillor Dunlop called for an end to the social media speculation surrounding the incident. "Anyone with any information, no matter how little they think it is, I would urge them to bring it forward to police. It's an ongoing inquiry that has developed as the day's went on.

“There is speculation out there as to what may or may not have happened. It's unhelpful in my opinion. I would just let the police continue knocking doors in the area, gathering that vital information and I have no doubt this community will assist them with their enquiries."

A 31-year-old man has been arrested over the incident in the Craighill area and is assisting police with the investigation, which a PSNI spokesman said was "at an early stage."

Anyone with information on the incident is being asked to contact police on 101.

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