Bus Torched As Paramilitaries Rampage

Vehicles have been highjacked and a bus and several cars burnt out during paramilitary-orchestrated disorder in Newtownabbey last night.

More than 150 police officers were drafted in from across Northern Ireland to deal with the disturbances and it has now emerged that loyalist paramilitaries played a part in the rioting that involved more than 200 youths.

At least £200,000 worth of damage was caused as six cars and a bus (pictured) were burnt out and missiles thrown at police vehicles after the trouble broke out at about 8.30pm.

The bus driver involved was treated in hospital for a facial injury after being attacked by masked men on Monday night.

However, PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Duncan McCausland has told the BBC this afternoon that police were studying CCTV footage from the ground and from the PSNI helicopter of the rioting and said arrests were certain to follow.

Last night's riots were a repeat of incidents earlier this month in Carrickfergus where police drug raids were linked to organised disorder in both the seaside town and in nearby Ballyclare and Eden.

The 200 youths stopped traffic on Doagh Road roundabout on the periphery of the Rathcoole estate at the O'Neill Road. A bus was taken in The Diamond area of Rathcoole after the driver was assaulted and forced to take the vehicle to outside the O'Neill Road Petrol Station where it was set ablaze. The driver suffered a broken nose in the incident.

The rioters then attacked approaching police vehicles despite helicopter cover being provided for the large number of PSNI officers drafted in from across NI to police the rioting.

This morning contractors were on site removing the still smoking remains of the bus.

It is understood there were a number of police raids in the Newtownabbey area with Ken Wilkinson, a representative of the UVF-linked Progressive Unionist Party, telling the BBC that he understood the trouble was linked to searches over the past two days by PSNI officers connected with a probe that was begun by the Historical Enquiries Team (HET).

The PSNI said today that the searches were part of Operation Stafford, an ongoing Serious Crime Branch investigation into a series of murders and other crimes by the UVF in north Belfast. The probe started at the end of last year, when the PSNI took on the investigation from the Historical Enquiries Team.

On this morning's Stephen Nolan Show on BBC Radio Ulster, Mr Wilkinson again repeated allegations of heavy-handedness during the searches, which have been strongly rebuffed by area Chief Superintendent, Henry Irvine.

While the PUP man complained that the PSNI wouldn't allow a sick woman's sister to get in to see her relative during one of the searches, Chief Superintendent Irvine revealed that as a consequence of the operation, illegal drugs were recovered during some of the three searches.

A PSNI spokesperson later confirmed that a number of searches were carried out in the Rathcoole area on Monday and that a 34-year-old man was arrested and later released after a quantity of suspected cannabis was seized.

Mr Wilkinson alleged that "the way a lot of these searches were carried out leaves a lot to be desired", adding that one of the houses raided belonged to a lady in bad health.

He blamed the trouble on such activity by the PSNI, and while the police said they worked with community representatives to help restore calm to the area last night, the senior police officer rejected the claims of inappropriate police conduct.

He also said that it was no way for such matters to be worked out, as the community itself was the main victim in such trouble.

Speaking to 4ni.co.uk this morning, local DUP Alderman and former Newtownabbey Mayor, Nigel Hamilton said that the local people were the ones to have suffered.

He also said that the bus service would have obviously been affected by the previous night's violence - hitting the very community from which the rioters came.

Alderman Hamilton also drew parallels with the trouble in Ballyclare some weeks ago when police raids apparently sparked similar street violence in response.

He said: "The violence in the Rathcoole area which appears to have been orchestrated following searches in the area and is something which only drags our community back to the dark ages. The problem is those who are called out onto the street to cause mayhem do so in their own area and put their own community under the hammer.

"It is totally unacceptable that these rioters obstruct the police in their duty, burn cars and injure bus drivers and think they are doing no wrong. Those who call them out are as responsible for the violence as those who carry it out."

He was speaking after it emerged that the bus driver was dragged from his now torched vehicle and attacked during the rioting on Monday night and that petrol bombs were also thrown and several cars were hijacked during the trouble, which lasted for almost four hours.

A Unite union representative Michael Dornan has told UTV that his men threatened to end the bus services in Newtownabbey because of the disturbances.

"These people boarded the bus and poured petrol inside. They then trailed him off the bus and beat him," he told UTV.

PSNI landrovers were also damaged before the violence was brought under control and eventually ended by around 1am on Tuesday morning.

Newtownabbey Alliance Councillor Billy Webb has since condemned the trouble which he said started around 9pm last night, with a car and bus being burned out and stones being thrown at police vehicles.

Cllr Billy Webb said: "This was a despicable night of disorder. There can never be any justification for trouble of this nature and no-one should try to provide excuses for those who indulge in thuggery.

"We need calm in the area to allow people to get on with their lives free from disruption and fear. It's despicable that a small number of people can bring themselves to wreak havoc in their local community.

"Those behind this trouble must be caught and I appeal to anyone with information on last night's events to contact police immediately."

See: Co Antrim Attacks 'Reaction To Police Presence'

(BMcC/GK)