BELFAST, Northern Ireland — Two investigative journalists who contributed to Alex Gibney’s documentary on the 1994 Loughinisland massacre were arrested on Friday over the alleged theft of confidential documents from the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland (PONI).
Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey were detained by Durham Constabulary officers following searches of two homes and a business premises in Belfast, conducted with the assistance of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). Authorities seized documents and computer equipment as part of the investigation. The journalists were released on bail approximately 14 hours later.
The arrests come in response to material reportedly used in the Oscar-winning filmmaker’s documentary, No Stone Unturned, which investigates failures, cover-ups, and collusion between the police and loyalist paramilitaries responsible for the attack. On 18 June 1994, gunmen in balaclavas entered the Heights pub in Loughinisland, County Down, opening fire on patrons watching the World Cup. Six men were killed, and eleven others injured. Despite substantial evidence, no convictions have been secured.
Gibney criticized the arrests as an attack on press freedom. “Police reaction? Re-open the murder investigation? No. Arrest the truth tellers,” he tweeted, highlighting the documentary’s exposure of police corruption and investigative failures.
Human rights and journalism organizations have also condemned the arrests. Brian Gormally, director of the Committee on the Administration of Justice, emphasized that the police must justify their actions as proportionate and necessary in a democratic society. Seamus Dooley, acting general secretary of the National Union of Journalists, stressed that protecting journalistic sources is vital for public-interest reporting.
Clare Rogan, representing the Loughinisland families, criticized the arrests as an attempt to suppress the truth about the massacre, stating that the British government and state forces were willing to go to extreme lengths to obstruct justice.
Durham Constabulary described the inquiry as complex, noting that the alleged theft of documents “potentially puts lives at risk” and that investigators would “follow the evidence wherever it leads.” Both journalists have maintained their innocence, describing the events as a difficult day and an unfair targeting of the press.
