Two men arrested in connection of the murder of Belfast man Robert McCartney in January are facing charges at court, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported Friday.

A 49-year-old man is charged with murdering McCartney who was stabbed outside a Belfast pub on 30 January and died the following day in hospital.

Another man, 36, has also been charged with the attempted murder of McCartney's friend Brendan Devine.

Both men were arrested on Wednesday and are due before the magistrates court Belfast on Saturday.

McCartney's family have maintained that members of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), the paramilitary wing of Sinn Fein, had been involved in the death of the 33-year-old father of two.

McCartney's sisters and partner have held a number of meetings with high-profile politicians in their campaign for justice over the killing.

In March, they met US President George W. Bush at the White House in Washington while the latter shunned Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams on the celebration of St Patrick's Day.

They have also held separate meetings with US special envoy to Northern Ireland, Mitchell Reiss and the Irish Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern.

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams has called for those with information about the murder to come forward.

The IRA said it had expelled three members over the murder and Sinn Fein subsequently suspended seven of its members.

Source: Xinhua