Republican News · Thursday 08 March 2001

[An Phoblacht]

Sectarian attack foiled

A gunman spotted near Lenadoon in West Belfast may have been about to attack a delivery driver.

Sinn Féin Councillor Gerard O'Neill told An Phoblacht that the driver was making a delivery to the Suffolk Inn on Tuesday 6 March when the incident happened. He said the driver and a member of staff from the pub were unloading crates when a metallic blue Metro, carrying four men, drove into the car park. The driver made a run for the pub when he saw one of the men raise a rifle. The member of staff followed him and once inside they locked the doors.

Said O'Neill: ``I spoke to another member of staff afterwards and he told me the delivery driver is sure of what he saw. I would urge all nationalists to be vigilant, especially at this time of increased loyalist activity.''

Elsewhere, ten weapons and up to 1,500 rounds of ammunition found in a house in loyalist East Belfast on Tuesday 6 March belonged to the LVF. Among the weapons seized by the RUC were a Heckler and Koch assault rifle and eight handguns.

The guns were found in a house in Templemore Close, not far from the nationalist Short Strand district. The RUC raided the house in a follow up operation after a cigarette lorry was hijacked on the Castlereagh Road. They found the stolen cigarettes and the weapons.

d three men arrested after a bomb exploded in a derelict house on the Leckpatrick Road outside Strabane have been released on RUC bail.

According to local sources, two of the men arrested have UVF connections and a long history of loyalist involvement.

The bomb exploded at about 3pm on Monday 5 March and it was in a follow up operation that the trio were arrested. Although there has been a lull in loyalist pipe bomb attacks in recent weeks, the threat from loyalism remains.

A Catholic family escaped injury when their home was petrol bombed in Ballymena last week, Wednesday 28 February. The couple and their 19-year-old daughter, who live in the house at Millfield in the town, were at home at 11.30pm when the attack happened. Scorch damage was caused to the front window of the house.


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