Abduction attempts in North Belfast
BY LAURA FRIEL
Hours before the sectarian killing of teenager Gavin Brett, a
14-year-old Catholic living in the same Glengormley estate had
been targeted in a loyalist abduction attempt.
Maria Lynch, the schoolboy's distraught mother, described her son
as ``lucky to be alive'' after he fled from a carload of loyalists
as he left a local fast food restaurant on Sunday night.
At around 7pm, Conor Lynch left the Sportsbowl complex at
Glenwell Road in Glengormley and with two friends went for
something to eat at MacDonalds. When the three boys left the
restaurant, a grey Vauxhall car sped towards them.
``His friends ran towards Colinbridge but Conor ran in the
opposite direction into the cinema car park,'' said Maria. ``The
car chased him and tried to run him over. He hid in some bushes
until it was safe to come out.''
The teenager's mother said her son looked ``more like a
nine-year-old'' and the men involved in the attack were clearly
prepared to attack children. ``I'm just disgusted,'' said Maria.
In a second abduction attempt by loyalists on the same night, a
Catholic grandfather, too afraid to be named, escaped a loyalist
murder attempt when a gun, aimed at his head and fired, jammed.
The 56-year-old was driving on the Crumlin Road in North Belfast
in the early hours of Monday morning when three masked men
stopped him. An armed man approached the driver's window of the
car and gestured to the man to get out of the vehicle. Realising
his life was in danger, the driver drove off at speed from the
junction of Crumlin Road and Ligoniel Road. As he hit the
accelerator, the grandfather of five heard the gun click, just
feet from his head.
``There is no doubt in my mind that they were trying to kill me,''
said the man. A second member of the masked gang jumped out of
the way as the car sped off.
Local Sinn Fein councillor Briege Meehan told An Phoblacht that
the previous week two 13-year-old Catholics had been chased by a
silver Astra. Describing the nationalist community as ``extremely
anxious'', she warned everyone, but particularly young Catholics,
to be very vigilant.
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