A Fermanagh man arrested in connection with the abduction and torture of QIH director Kevin Lunney has said he had no “act or part” in the attack.
Sean McGovern was arrested along with his wife Teresa by the PSNI at their home near Kinawley last Thursday morning.
The couple’s son, Bernard was also arrested near his Fermanagh home, while another close relative was detained by gardaí in Co Cavan.
Mr McGovern, his wife and son were taken to Omagh PSNI station for questioning before all three were released unconditionally.
The man arrested by gardaí was also released without charge, with a file being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Mr and Mrs McGovern, who are both aged 61, were detained on suspicion of conspiracy to kidnap, conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm with intent, and assisting offenders in relation to the abduction of Mr Lunney (50) at his Co Fermanagh home last September.
The father-of-six was taken by a gang to Co Cavan where he was subjected to a terrifying ordeal.
He told how suffered a broken leg, had the letters QIH carved into his chest with a Stanley knife and was doused in bleach.
A joint PSNI/Garda investigation was launched and four men have been charged in relation to the attack.
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Speaking to The Irish News, Mr McGovern said while he has no sympathy for Mr Lunney, he had no “act or part” to play in the abduction.
He said he believes his family has been singled out because of its support for Sean Quinn, who lost control of his business empire in the Fermanagh/Cavan border area in 2011 following a disastrous investment in Anglo-Irish Bank.
He later returned to Quinn Industrial Holdings (QIH) as a consultant after some of the businesses went back into local management, but left again in 2016 after a breakdown in relationships.
Mr Quinn, once Ireland's richest man, has repeatedly condemned a campaign of intimidation targeting QIH including the attack on Kevin Lunney, which he described as "barbaric".
Mr McGovern said they have "no trouble saying we have supported Quinn from the start, from the first day he was thrown out of his business".
“It was an injustice in my eyes, a major injustice.”
He said his house has been searched several times and members of his family are regularly stopped and searched by police.
Mr McGovern, who runs a chicken farm, said he only got to know Mr Quinn personally in recent years and has attended public rallies in support of the former tycoon.
He said he was questioned by police about his relationship to Mr Quinn and his associations and movements leading up to the day Mr Lunney was abducted.
“How are you meant to explain that six months later?” he asked.
His wife Teresa, who is a nurse, said she is also a supporter of Sean Quinn.
She said the experience of being arrested has left her feeling “anxious”.
“I have nothing to be ashamed of or embarrassed about,” she said.
“I am annoyed and its very stressful.”
The McGovern family solicitor Michael Brentnall, of Brentnall Legal, said has been instructed to “issue unlawful arrest proceedings” over the detention of Mr McGovern, his wife and son Bernard.
He said a complaint has also been lodged with the Police Ombudsman alleging PSNI “harassment” in relation to stop and search operations under the Justice and Security Act.
“All three family members were released unconditionally, and no evidence was put forward, either justifying their detention or during the course of each of their five interviews, regarding their alleged involvement in this matter,” he said.
Asked about the McGoverns yesterday, Sean Quinn told The Irish News they are "very decent people".
"Father before them and all generations very decent people," he said.
"They have been supportive of me as have thousands of others."
