Three injured in separate paramilitary-style attacks

There have been several paramilitary-style attacks across the east of the Province last night and this morning which have left three people injured.

In north Belfast, a man escaped injury when a device was thrown through the living room window of his house at Seaview Drive shortly before 1130pm last night. The device exploded causing extensive damage to a sofa and shrapnel damage to the rest of the room. The man was upstairs at the time.

Army Technical Officers were called to the scene and a number of items were removed for examination. At this stage it is believed the device was a pipe bomb.

A 28-year-old man was treated in hospital for gunshot wounds to each leg, following a paramilitary-style shooting in the Ballyduff.

At around 11pm last night, the victim was pulled into a white coloured van in the Greenisland area and taken to an area at the rear of Ballyfore Parade where the shooting was carried out.

In Newtownabbey, a 22-year-old man was taken to hospital with a gunshot wound to each leg. It is thought the shooting occurred at Old Irish Highway in the Newtownabbey area around 8.15pm last night.

Elsewhere, a man was beaten and shot in both ankles in Killough, at around 7am this morning. He was walking along Main Street when he was approached by three masked men, who carried out the attack.

Police have appealed for anyone with information relating to the attacks to contact them.

(GMcG)