Search begins for Seamus Maguire remains in NI

A major search has begun in Northern Ireland for the remains of Seamus Maguire, one of the final four victims known as "the Disappeared" whose bodies have not been recovered since the Troubles. The operation, which commenced on Tuesday in a two-acre area of farmland in Derryclone, County Armagh, marks the first physical excavation for the 29-year-old from Aghagallon and is the first such search in Northern Ireland in 14 years.

The Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains (ICLVR) is conducting the search. Lead investigator Eamonn Henry described it as a significant moment, stating the commission would not undertake a search lightly. He explained that after taking on the case in 2022, years of information gathering led to the decision that there was a reasonable opportunity to find Maguire's remains.

Maguire is believed to have been killed and secretly buried by republican paramilitaries in 1976. The commission's criteria for involvement require that a death and secret burial resulted from paramilitary activity and occurred before the signing of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement in April 1998. Henry noted that while investigators believe republican...