27/01/2005

Taxi petrol bombed in north Belfast

A taxi has been petrol bombed in north Belfast overnight as a loyalist feud continues to escalate in the area.

One man was arrested and subsequently released on police bail pending further enquiries following the incident which occurred in the Silverstream Avenue area just after midnight.

The car's back window had been smashed with a brick and the petrol bomb thrown inside, however neighbours were able to extinguish the blaze with a hose.

A subsequent police search of the area uncovered more than 30 petrol bombs and a quantity of drugs from a number of houses.

DCU Commander for North Belfast, Chief Superintendent Mike Little, said the seizures demonstrate the PSNI’s commitment to crackdown and tackle all kinds of criminality in north Belfast.

On Monday, a number of vehicles were also burned at Carnan Street and Westway Gardens in the area. Subsequent police searches saw officers attacked with petrol bombs. There were no injuries and police made one arrest.

At the weekend a number of other taxis working for the same company, Call-A-Cab, which is partly owned by prominent loyalist Jackie Mahood, were also set alight.

It is thought the incidents may be linked to a feud between the Loyalist Volunteer Force and the rival Ulster Volunteer Force in the area.

(MB/SP)

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