Michael Stone freed from prison
One of Northern Ireland's most notorious loyalist killers has been released from prison.
Michael Stone killed three people in a gun and grenade attack at an IRA funeral in Belfast in 1988.
He was freed under the Good Friday Agreement but was put back behind bars for trying to kill Sinn Fein leaders Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness at Stormont in 2000.
In November last year, Northern Ireland's highest court ruled that he could apply for early release from prison.
It said keeping him behind bars until at least 2024 would "constitute an interference with the physical liberty of the prisoner and could only arise under clear authority of the law'', and in its view this could not be implied.
The issue under consideration was whether he would stay in jail until at least 2024, or whether his minimum tariff expired in 2018, including the six years he was freed under licence.
The court concluded that the period that the prisoner spent lawfully on licence ought to be included in the relevant part of his sentence.
Stone had been serving a 30-year jail term.
One of his victims was 20-year-old Thomas McErlean.
His sister, Deborah McGuinness, had taken legal action in a bid to attempt her brother's killer from applying for early release.
Stone killed three people in a gun and grenade attack at Milltown Cemetery in west Belfast following an IRA funeral.
He was freed under the Good Friday Agreement in 2000, but was returned to prison six years later for trying to kill then Mr Adams and Mr McGuinness at Stormont.
Last year he was ordered by the High Court in Belfast to serve a further five and a half years before he can be considered for release.
An appeal against that ruling was taken to the Supreme Court.
He was found guilty of three other killings in addition to the Milltown Cemetery attack that took place on March 16 1988.