The “horrifically violent” murders of two men who were killed almost a year apart in west Belfast have been formally linked by police. Both Sean Fox and Mark Hall were killed at close range in broad daylight, and detectives believe the murders were carried out by the same two gunmen. Hall, 31, was shot dead at his family home in Rodney Drive, Belfast, on Saturday 18 December 2021. Two men approached the house and one fired shots through the front window. Fox, 42, was murdered at Donegal Celtic Football Club off the Suffolk Road on Sunday October 2 this year. Two masked assailants entered the club and shot the father-of-two in front of more than 100 people. Det Supt Eamonn Corrigan, head of the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s (PSNI) major investigation teams, said: “I can confirm that detectives are now formally linking the horrifically violent murders of Mark Hall and Sean Fox. “Following careful examination of CCTV footage seized, we believe the murders were carried out by the same two gunmen. It is also now our assessment the murders were carried out by an organised group of criminals who operate like terrorists and who may be, or have been, members of terrorist organisations.” He said police were not attributing the murders to a particular organisation at this time, but added that their deaths “bear all the hallmarks of dissident republican killings”. “There are a number of similarities in the two murders, including the location of west Belfast, as well as the brazen and reckless style of the shootings in public in broad daylight,” Corrigan added. Police believe Fox was “singled out” as he enjoyed a drink in a busy function room. “They were inside the premises for approximately 21 seconds. The gunmen fired 20 bullets and we have identified multiple strike marks,” the officer said. Police said they knew the suspects travelled to and from the crime scene of Mr Fox’s death on bicycles. One suspect was riding “a light grey or silver generic, low spec model mountain bike”. “There is a plastic bag over the seat,” he said. The second suspect was riding “a racer bike with a distinctive rear point to the saddle which appears to be a Fizik Arione, or a copy of this model … It had a white handlebar, white handlebar stem, pink handlebar tape and white tyres. He was wearing a blue hoodie, dark-coloured bottoms and footwear and light grey gloves.” Police said the same disregard for the safety of local people was on display during Hall’s murder, when the two killers arrived at Hall’s mother’s house. The men fired shots through the front window, and as they fled the scene, one of the suspects “turned around and fired a shot at Mark’s sister”. Detectives also released images of a silver-colour Skoda Superb taxi, registration plate GM16 YCA, that the two suspects arrived at St James’s Crescent on 18 December last year. “The taxi has never been recovered, and I would appeal to anyone who has information on the car and its whereabouts to contact police,” Corrigan said. Images of the suspects have been released and police are appealing for anyone with information to contact them. Detectives have conducted a number of searches and arrests this week in west Belfast in relation to both murders.