PSNI detectives investigating the murder of Robert McCartney still have not received any eyewitness evidence that could convict his killers, according to security and McCartney family sources.
Neither has anyone admitted direct involvement in the killing despite the arrest on Wednesday of one of the three men expelled by the IRA for their alleged participation in the murder, sources added.
And despite the IRA's offer to the McCartney family to shoot, and possibly kill, those centrally involved in Mr McCartney's murder and despite the organisation "ordering" those implicated in the killing to come forward, no substantial progress has been made, they said.
"In terms of getting evidence to convict those who killed Robert, we were informed the investigation is as far on as it was on day one," The Irish Times was told yesterday Ms Catherine McCartney, sister of the murdered father of two young children.
So far 12 people, most of whom were in or near Magennis's bar on the day of the killing on January 30th, have been arrested by police investigating the murder.
A number went voluntarily to the police accompanied by their solicitors after IRA and Sinn Féin calls for people to come forward to help bring the killers to justice.
The most potentially significant arrest was on Wednesday when one of the three men expelled by the IRA came forward to the police with his solicitor. He was released shortly before midnight on Wednesday.
All the other 11 arrested people were released unconditionally but this man was released "pending further inquiries". In the North, people who are released without being charged can be released in a hierarchy of three separate ways.
They can be simply released, as happened the 11. They can be released "pending further inquiries", as in the case of the expelled IRA member, or they can be released on police bail.
While this man faces further inquiries, security and family sources said he had provided nothing evidential to the police. The nature of his release, however, indicates that PSNI detectives believe he remains central to their investigation.
PSNI Chief Constable Hugh Orde has stressed on a number of occasions that, notwithstanding the show of co-operation, the police gained nothing evidential from the 12 arrests.
Members of the McCartney family have repeatedly stated that, while the IRA and Sinn Féin have pledged support to the family, fear and intimidation in the Short Strand and the nearby Markets - the areas where most of the witnesses come from - are still preventing people providing useful information to the PSNI.
The IRA statement which revealed it offered to shoot those implicated in the killing - an offer rejected by the McCartneys - said only four men were directly involved. The family say up to 10 more men were involved in the subsequent clean-up and cover-up.
