SDLP leader John Hume has condemned the shooting of a Belfast journalist as a "major attack on democracy".

The Nobel peace prize winner told ePolitix.com that a drugs motive lay behind the shooting of Martin O'Hagan, which came just hours after Northern Ireland secretary Dr John Reid served notice on the loyalist paramilitary UDF to quit its campaign of terror.

Hume condemned the shooting which was claimed by the Red Hand Defenders, a cover name used by the Loyalist Volunteer Force and other protestant terror groups that are supposed to be on ceasefire.

"It was an absolutely appalling murder and I would like to express my deepest sympathy to his family. It's not only the appalling murder of an individual human being it's a major attack on the fundamentals of democracy and on the freedom of speech," he said.

The continuing drugs trade among loyalist groups, which O'Hagan had consistently exposed, was the sole motive for the shooting, Hume believes.

"The organisation that is behind this is clearly trying to stir up the troubles again. In my opinion they are very probably doing that not for political reasons but because they are very heavily involved as a mafia in the drugs trade. They want a complete and continued collapse of law and order so that their mafia work can continue," he told ePolitix.