A protestant teenager was shot and injured in the Ardoyne area of north Belfast last night. He underwent surgery in the Mater Hospital where his condition was said to be "ill but stable".
The British Army and the Police Service of Northern Ireland moved into Ardoyne last night to keep groups of loyalists and nationalists apart.
Local Protestants blamed a nationalist gunman for the attack but Sinn Fein strongly denied republican involvement. The 19-year-old was shot in Glenbryn Park when a gunman allegedly fired from the nationalist side of the peaceline around 7 p.m.
Local people said he was shot in the back. A spokeswoman for the Mater Hospital said he was undergoing emergency surgery for a groin wound.
Tensions have been running high in the area in recent days, with houses on both sides of the divide coming under attack.
Glenbryn residents mounted a picket outside Holy Cross Catholic school last year.
Local loyalist community worker Mr Mark Coulter, claimed a nationalist gunman had fired at the teenager from across the peaceline.
"The young fellow was standing in Glenbryn Park when a gunman shot at him through a gap in the houses on the peaceline. He was semi-conscious when he was taken to hospital.
"People are worried that they and their homes will once again be attacked. They are very, very angry. They wonder what needs to happen before somebody does something about the situation. This interface is an open sore. People need safety to live in this area," he said.
Other residents also said the gunman had fired at the teenager from the nationalist side of the peace-line.
However, Sinn Féin councillor Ms Margaret McClenaghan, insisted republicans were not involved. "We have heard about the shooting but I have talked to local republicans and I believe they are in no way responsible for it. Questions have to be answered by the people in Glenbryn. The Catholic people in this area are very worried. Their homes have been under attack from Glenbryn all day and now this is escalating tension."
The situation in Ardoyne grew more uneasy last night as large numbers of people gathered at Ardoyne Road, at the top of Alliance Avenue, following the shooting. Local Protestants blocked the Crumlin Road in protest at the incident.
The family of an elderly disabled man whose north Belfast home was petrol-bombed at the weekend have said the attack was sectarian.
At least two devices were thrown at the house on Clifton Park Avenue on Saturday night. One landed in the living-room and ignited the curtains, carpet and furniture while Mr Samuel Swindell lay asleep upstairs.His sister-in-law, Ms Marian Dougan, said that if Mr Swindell's son, Samuel jnr, had not been at home at the time, his father would have been killed.