Republican News · Thursday 18 October 2001

Sectarian hammer and knife attack

Belfast man Liam Shannon is lucky to be alive. As the 22-year-old and a friend returned home in the early hours of Thursday morning, 11 October, a gang of loyalists attacked the pair with sledgehammers and knives. In the vicious assault, Shannon was hit a number of times with the sledgehammer and was stabbed once in the arm.

The two young men were returning home from a night out in Belfast city centre and were walking along the Westlink, the de facto border between nationalist West Belfast and the loyalist Village area of South Belfast. The pair were on the stretch of the Westlink between Grosvenor Road and Broadway when the loyalist gang, in a white Cavalier car, came up behind them.

The pair began to run but three men jumped from the car and set about Liam Shannon. His friend managed to escape.

The young nationalist received the stab wound when he covered his body with his arm as one of his would be killers aimed the knife at his chest.

Speaking to An Phoblacht, Sinn Féin Councillor Michael Browne said he was "concerned that this latest attack is only the beginning of another round of loyalist activity in this area.

"Although in recent times the Village has been quiet compared to other parts of the city, there is a very vicious UDA unit there. In the last two years there have been numerous attacks on nationalists by gangs using knives and hatchets and those targeted were lucky to escape with their lives."