A teenager shot and wounded in Northern Ireland today may have been the latest victim of a feud between rival pro- and anti-Belfast Agreement loyalist factions.
He was hit in the arm as he opened a store at a building site in Portadown in Co Armagh. He managed to escape to a nearby house. He was not badly hurt and his hospital condition was later described as "stable".
RUC Chief Insp Terry Walkingshaw said: "It was a miraculous escape."
Two masked gunmen were involved in the attack near Princess Way and fired at least four times.
At one stage the gunmen chased their 18-year-old victim and later both of them pointed their weapons at a group of other workmen standing nearby, including the teenager's father.
His home was damaged three weeks ago in an attack also linked to the feud. A silver Peugeot 309 thought to have been used in the shooting was later found on fire.
Several people have been killed and wounded in the fighting between the anti-Belfast Agreement Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF) and the pro-agreement Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF).
Earlier three houses in the loyalist Ballysillan area of north Belfast were damaged in three attacks which the RUC believe may have been linked. Nobody was hurt but it is thought the front window of one of the houses was shattered by a shotgun blast.
PA