The Northern Secretary, Dr John Reid, has described the killing of a young Catholic man in north Belfast as "senseless and brutal", pledging that those responsible would be hunted down.
Mr Gerard Lawlor (19) was shot dead by the Ulster Freedom Fighters as he was walking towards his family's home on the Whitewell Road on Sunday night. Dr Reid said there could be no justification for the killing or for other attacks in the north of the city. "The series of shootings in north Belfast last night, which ended in the vicious murder of a young Catholic man, are beneath contempt. No community grievance or political cause could ever justify this. The murderers must, and will, be brought to justice," he said.
Dr Reid said recent events were in danger of plunging Northern Ireland back "into the dark days of tit-for-tat murders". He called on both communities not to allow "hate-crazed" gunmen to take control of their future.
The senior PSNI officer responsible for the area, Supt Roy Suitters, described attacks in north Belfast over recent nights as a "catalogue of mayhem" and called on anybody with influence in the community to use it to bring the violence to a halt.
"To all people of influence I would ask them to get everybody together and get this problem sorted out, because when a 12- year- old on one street of Belfast throws a stone someone on the other side of Belfast ends up being killed. Somehow, somewhere, this has to stop," he added.
Politicians united in condemning the killing. The First Minister and Ulster Unionist leader, Mr David Trimble, said a relatively peaceful Twelfth had been followed by a "dreadful few days".
"One can only speculate as to why some loyalists are out on the rampage and what they are trying to achieve . . . It is important that there is a government response to create confidence in the community now," he insisted.
The Deputy First Minister and SDLP leader, Mr Mark Durkan, described Mr Lawlor's death as "evil and savage". The killing made a mockery of loyalist paramilitaries' alleged "no first strike" policy, he added.
"This murder confirms the belief of many that the UDA is orchestrating an ongoing campaign of violence in north Belfast."
Mr Durkan's party colleague, Mr Pat Convery, a north Belfast councillor, said the killing had been "inevitable" given recent sectarian violence in the area.
The area's MP, the DUP's Mr Nigel Dodds, described the attack as a "dreadful murder of a young man who appears to have been in the wrong place at the wrong time". He criticised the First and Deputy First Ministers as well as the security minister, Ms Jane Kennedy, for not implementing a series of measures agreed last year to calm sectarian tensions in north Belfast.
Sinn Féin's north Belfast MLA, Mr Gerry Kelly, said the young Catholic man's death was the "tragic culmination of the UDA having upped the ante in the last week". Loyalist paramilitaries were attempting to draw republicans back into conflict, he added.
The Alliance Party leader, Mr David Ford, called for "firm action" by the security forces against anybody engaging in violence.
A north Belfast MLA from the UUP, Mr Fraser Agnew, described the killing as "idiotic and self-defeating".