Police in the North have yet to establish a motive for the murder of a man at his home in West Belfast.

Joe Reilly was shot dead after two men burst into his home in Glenwood Court in the Poleglass area last night.

The Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan has condemned the attack which marks the second shooting in the area this week.

“My thoughts are with the deceased family, his friends and wider Poleglass community,” he said.

"There is no place and no support in society for such criminal actions. I encourage anyone with information on these attacks to contact the PSNI.”

Detective Chief Inspector Peter Montgomery from the PSNI Serious Crime Branch is leading the investigation.

He said a number of men – one of whom was armed with a handgun – entered Mr Reilly’s home at about 8pm last night.

“Two people in the house were subsequently ordered into the kitchen and made to lie on the floor,” he said.

“43-year-old Joe Reilly was kept in the living room. Mr Reilly was shot a number of times in the chest and despite the best efforts of paramedics, he died at the scene.

“It is really difficult to know how to describe what happened last night. The adjectives ‘brutal, senseless and barbaric’ are inadequate. This was a cold-blooded summary execution of a man in his own home.”

He said the gunmen are described as being “about six ft tall, wearing dark coats and dark trousers. One was wearing dark rimmed glasses and a Celtic scarf.”

The motive for the attack is as yet unknown and chief inspector Montgomery has called for three children who were seen in the area at the time to come forward:

Anyone with any information regarding the attack is asked to contact Musgrave Police Station or the PSNI no-emergency line.