Memorial for murdered soldiers
Solemn tributes have been paid to two British soldiers murdered in Northern Ireland on the first anniversary of their deaths as detectives renewed appeals for help catching the killers.
The Royal British Legion held a poignant memorial service on the spot outside Massereene barracks in Antrim where Sappers Patrick Azimkar, 21, from London and 23-year-old Mark Quinsey from Birmingham were gunned down by the Real IRA.
A lone piper played a lament for the fallen soldiers while a crowd of around 100 people stood in silence with heads bowed.
Church leaders from all the main denominations in Northern Ireland then spoke at short service. Afterwards wreaths were laid in front of the gates where the two young soldiers lost their lives.
Inside the military compound, the Army held its own private memorial for the sappers who were hours from deploying to Afghanistan when they were killed.
Already dressed in desert fatigues in readiness to board a flight to the war zone, they were collecting a pizza at the barracks' gates when two gunmen walked across the road and opened fire before fleeing in a getaway car.
Two pizza delivery men and two other military personnel were seriously injured in the attack by violent extremists opposed to the Northern Ireland peace process.
Two men - including high profile Lurgan dissident Colin Duffy - have been charged with the murders and attempted murders. But police believe others were involved.
Senior investigating officer, Detective Superintendent Peter Farrar, urged anyone with information to come forward."The police investigation into the murders of sappers Patrick Azimkar and Mark Quinsey remains active and ongoing," he said.
"One year on since this atrocity, Mark and Patrick's families still feel a tremendous amount of grief. We can only hope that in time, that grief will ease."
