IRA Kills Soldier Two Days After British Overture

The IRA captured, interrogated and killed an off-duty soldier Saturday, the first IRA killing since its political ally, Sinn Fein, gave a guarded welcome to British moves toward peace.

Police said Reginald McCollum, a 19-year-old private from Northern Ireland, was found dead in a field in Armagh, 35 miles southwest of Belfast.

McCollum, who was out Friday night with friends, was last seen early Saturday morning at a fish and chip shop. Reports said he was interrogated by Irish Republican Army gunmen before they shot and killed him.

The IRA claimed responsibility for the killing in a phone call to a Belfast news organization.

The soldier’s 25-year-old brother, Nigel, was killed last year by the IRA.

On Thursday, Britain issued the first-ever public document from British ministers to the Sinn Fein leadership.

The substantive, point-by-point reply to Sinn Fein questions about Britain’s Northern Ireland position gave little ground.

But the reply, drafted in consultation with the Irish government, was considered a symbolic concession that makes it more difficult for the IRA to say the Dec. 15 Irish-British peace initiative remains unclear and contradictory.

Patrick Mayhew, Britain’s Cabinet-level official in charge of Northern Ireland, condemned the killing and called on Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams to do the same.

“The IRA have killed again, this time after interrogating their victim. The life of little Emma Anthony hangs in the balance--her father already robbed by the IRA last week,” he said.

Emma, 3, came out of her coma Saturday at a hospital, eight days after the IRA planted a bomb under the Anthony family car.

John Frederick Anthony, a 38-year-old civilian janitor at the Lurgan police station, was killed.

The bomb blew Emma, who was sitting directly behind her father, from the car, breaking both her legs and slamming a piece of shrapnel into her head.

Emma’s 9-year-old brother and their mother, who were on the other side of the car, were not seriously injured.

On Friday, Sinn Fein said parts of the British response to its questions were encouraging and “a small step in the slowly evolving peace process.”

Belfast was quiet Saturday after hundreds of masked hard-liners from Northern Ireland’s pro-British Protestant community rioted Friday night.

The Protestant youths hijacked cars and shot at police.