Police in Belfast are investigating a spate of armed robberies in the city and its environs.
In west Belfast, a gang held up a fast food restaurant at the Westwood Centre on the Anderstown Road last night.
Three masked men armed with a handgun and a knife forced a staff member into an office where they stole a substantial sum of cash. They made off in a waiting saloon car.
In north Belfast, a man was attacked by four men as he left a house in Alliance Road.
The victim was struck about the face and head with a handgun before the assailants made off with a small amount of cash.
Across the city in east Belfast, an off licence was robbed on the Upper Newtownards Road by two men claiming to be from the Loyalist Volunteer Force. They were armed with a knife, which they used to threaten staff. They made off with money, cigarettes and alcohol.
Meanwhile, two men armed with knives robbed an off licence at Glengormley on the outskirts of north Belfast.