The father of a Belfast man thought to have been murdered in Spain before Christmas has confronted the person he believes shot and killed him.
John George, also known as John Hardy, disappeared days before Christmas during a trip to Spain.
His family believe he was lured there on the promise of a holiday and have since been told he was shot dead.
His father Billy George revealed on Wednesday how he has spoken to a man he believes fired the shots that claimed his son’s life.
Speaking to the Irish News, Mr George told how he met the suspect in a public place in recent days.
“I told him straight, you shot my son dead,” he said.
Mr George said the man was later arrested by Spanish police and subsequently released.
The suspect is believed to be one of several people with knowledge of Mr George’s disappearance.
The George family have raised concerns about the approach taken by Spanish law enforcement over the disappearance of their loved one.
His family say they last heard from John on Saturday December 14 when they received a “distressed” phone call from the Belfast man.
Distraught relatives, including his father, have been searching the area around Cabo Roig beach, near Alicante, where he was last seen.
It is understood that in recent days that two other suspects in the case were interviewed by Spanish police in the presence of Mr George’s father Billy.
It has been reported that a suspect in the case fled Spain this week while another is believed to have travelled to Thailand last month.
In an emotional appeal on Wednesday Mr George urged anyone with knowledge of his son’s disappearance to examine their conscience.
“It’s going on too long,” he said.
“Somebody knows, somebody has to have a conscience.
“Please, I beg you, I beg you from the bottom of my heart, just give me him back and we are out of here.”
Mr George vowed to continue his search.
“I’m staying ‘till I get him,” he said in a social media post.
“Please just give me him, just give me my son, that’s all I want, just my son.”
The family’s solicitor Kevin Winters, of KRW Law, has contacted the PSNI.
“We accept there are limitations on what PSNI can bring to these matters but from the next of kin’s perspective there are a number of suspects and other intelligence links to this jurisdiction,” he said.
“We say that ought to register a greater than normal level of interest than might ordinarily be the case involving a suspect murder outside of N Ireland.”
The PSNI has said a family liaison officer has been appointed to Mr George’s family and that it has made an offer of assistance to police in Spain.
The Guardia Civil in Alicante says it is continuing to investigate the case.
Mr George was speaking as search teams from across Europe, including one from the north, travelled to Spain to take part in the search for his son’s body.
K9 Search and Rescue NI say seven members of its team and one dog have made their way to Alicante to help in the search for the missing man.
They will join a specialist rescue crew from Portugal and members of the European Association of Civil Protection Volunteer Teams.
