Irish police have arrested a man and a woman as they investigate the deaths of a mother, father and two of their children in a suspected arson attack on their family home.
Kim English, who was in her 30s, her husband Philip, who was in his 50s, and their sons Callum, 12, and Jayden, nine, died after a petrol bomb was thrown into their house early on Tuesday in the Birchwood estate, about 3km from Waterford city centre.
The couple’s other children, Nadia, 14, and six-year-old Elliot, are still in a critical condition in hospital.
Gardaí said on Thursday afternoon that a man in his 20s and a woman in her 30s had been arrested on suspicion of facilitating a criminal organisation.
Post-mortem examinations on Mr and Mrs English and their two sons have been completed. However, Gardaí said the findings would not be released for “operational reasons”.
The investigation into the fatal fire remains under way, while local reports have claimed that a Traveller gang leader may have ordered the attack.
The arrests came after John James English, Philip’s son from a previous marriage, said gangland figures in Waterford had subjected his family to years of intimidation over a £17,000 drug debt allegedly owed by someone known to them.
Just three weeks before the family was killed, their car was reportedly targeted in a petrol bomb attack. No one was injured.
John James also told RTÉ that the home of his mother, Anne, who was Philip’s former wife, had previously been attacked with a petrol bomb.
Philip and Kim English with their children, including Callum, left, and Jayden, centre
Kim and Philip died in the blaze during the early hours of Tuesday morning at the Birchwood estate, about 3km from Waterford city centre
Forensic officers examine the scene of an overnight fire at the Birchwood estate in Waterford City
In a statement, Gardaí said some people know who was responsible for the attack and urged them to contact investigators.
Security sources said officers were concerned that the attack on the innocent family could trigger further violence.
A senior source said: “I want there to be no doubt whatsoever here. The people who were killed were completely innocent.
“They were targeted because they knew someone who had owed them money for quite some time.
“The last thing Gardaí want to see is more violence, but you have to remember that tensions are extremely high right now. So many people are grieving, and they are angry, rightly so.
“But Gardaí have seen before how an incident of this scale can lead to further bloodshed.”
On Wednesday afternoon, James English, Philip’s uncle, said: “Whoever knows, they should come forward and admit what they know about whoever carried it out.
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“At the end of the day, a large part of our family has now been wiped out.”
‘Please, whoever’s done it, own up. Be a man and own up for what you have done.’
He said Nadia and Elliot are ‘not good’ in hospital.
There were emotionally charged scenes at the site of the quadruple murder on Wednesday, with over 100 members of the community releasing balloons in honour of the four victims.
Philip’s father Paddy broke down in tears as the song You’ll Never Walk Alone played from a car stereo as the balloons drifted skywards.
A vigil was then held in the nearby Sacred Heart Church where hundreds turned out to pay their respects.
Speaking at the balloon release, Philip’s ex-wife Anne said they were a happy family.
‘I just have no words. I’m lost, and I’m going to be lost without them,’ she said.
Police at the scene of an overnight fire in the Birchwood estate in Waterford City, Ireland
Floral tributes are left outside the English family’s home
‘She [Kim] is my best friend. We were very, very close. I heard when I got a phone call from one of my family, and I jumped out of my bed.
‘Since then, I am numb. I am just shocked. The family is very close. Very happy.’
Ray Power, who is Philip’s cousin, urged the younger people of Waterford not to get caught up in the criminal lifestyle.
He described the rampant drug use in the city as a ‘demon’ which comes into homes and destroys them.
He said: ‘You’d be better off going off into a different country, going off and enjoying life, and enjoying yourself instead of looking up to that [dealers], because they’ll use you. They don’t care about you.’
In the latest Garda statement regarding the murders, a spokesman said: ‘The investigation is intense in nature and very active, with multiple searches being carried out across a number of premises in Waterford city yesterday evening.
‘A number of electronic devices and vehicles have been seized, which are now subject of technical examination. There have been no arrests at this time.’
This is a breaking news story, more to follow.