TWO MEN ARRESTED AFTER STRABANE WEDDING STABBING

TWO men have been arrested in connection with a violent dispute at a double wedding in Strabane which saw one man shot and another stabbed.

The disturbances occurred at around 1pm on Wednesday 18 July prior to the arrival of the brides, who were due to take part in a double wedding at St Mary’s Catholic Church on the Melmount Road. Eyewitness accounts described how the violence broke out in the church car park, following the arrival of a group carrying machetes and large knives, who appeared to single out one individual for attack. The man, believed to have been a guest at the wedding, was later taken to hospital with stab wounds.

There were also claims that shots had been fired during the fracas, and a man with gunshot wounds was later found in the nearby village of Sion Mills. He was taken to Altnagelvin Hospital, where his condition was described as stable.

The parish priest who performed the ceremony, Father Michael Doherty, said that the trouble appeared to have occurred as a result of a feud and described the event as “not your average wedding”. (CL)