A man is in critical condition in hosptial after being attacked in Omagh, Co Tyrone, early this morning.
The man in his early thirties was assaulted on the Old Mountfield Road at about 3 a.m. Police at Omagh are appealing for witnesses, and the road is likely to remain closed for the rest of the day.
The man has been transferred from Tyrone County Hospital to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast.
SDLP assembly member for West Tyrone, Mr Eugene McMenamin, said he was "deeply shocked and saddened" by the attack.
"For years, Omagh has been quiet and calm. The last thing the people of Omagh wanted to see was such a shallow display of vandalism and violence.
"I am sure that all the community of Omagh will join me in expressing their condemnation of this attack and their sympathy for the victim," Mr McMenamin said.