Three charged over Belfast unrest

Three men have been charged in connection with violence in east Belfast on Monday and Tuesday night and are due in court later…

Three men have been charged in connection with violence in east Belfast on Monday and Tuesday night and are due in court later today.

Police charged a 13-year-old boy and a 36-year-old man with riotous behaviour, while an 18-year-old man was charged with criminal damage, riotous behaviour and possession of offensive weapon.

The men will appear before a Belfast Magistrates court.

A 17-year-old boy remains in custody while the fifth man arrested, a 15-year-old has been released on bail pending further inquiries.

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Police came under petrol bomb attack on Tuesday at the Albertbridge Road and Mountpottinger interface. The incidents were described as minor although one officer was injured when he was hit in the face by a missile.

The violence followed serious clashes on Monday night at the same location when around 200 nationalists and loyalists were on the streets.

The disturbances followed a Sinn Féin rally to mark the closure of a heavily fortified police station in the nationalist Short Strand area and to call for the site to be used for social housing.

Republicans denied the rally was the cause of the violence in an area that has been blighted by frequent rioting, but they faced criticisms for organising the event in an area where tensions remain high.

Police defended the use of plastic bullets at the Monday night disturbances after their officers had come under sustained attack.

Additional reporting PA

Luke Cassidy

Luke Cassidy

Luke Cassidy is Digital Production Editor of The Irish Times