Police have condemned a series of violent incidents in County Down believed to be linked to the UDA.
Two families narrowly escaped injury after masked men targeted homes and vehicles in Newtownards on Sunday night. A bus was also set on fire in the town. Police say the three incidents are connected, while local sources have suggested the UDA was responsible.
Shortly before 11pm, a group of men dressed in dark clothing attacked a house in Bristol Park, smashing the front windows, door window, and car windows with a hammer. They also attempted to ignite a container filled with accelerant and throw it into a vehicle, but it failed to catch fire.
Soon after, emergency services responded to a fire on Victoria Avenue, where a bus and a car were completely destroyed and a nearby business sustained significant damage in what police described as a deliberate attack.
Just after 11:30pm, another incident occurred in Weavers Grange. Masked men smashed a living room window and threw a petrol bomb into the house, setting a sofa on fire while the family was inside. No injuries were reported.
Detective Sergeant Marley said the attacks would have been “terrifying” for those involved and described the incidents as completely unacceptable. He added that residents in the area do not want a return to past violence and intimidation.
Police are pursuing multiple lines of inquiry and have increased patrols in the area.
A loyalist source told the Belfast Telegraph that a feud between the Real UFF and UDA is over and would not be reignited, claiming those responsible for previous tensions had been forced out of Newtownards.
Alliance MLA Nick Mathison condemned the attacks as “utterly reprehensible,” highlighting the danger posed to residents and the damage caused. He said the violence serves only to intimidate communities and stressed the need for a united stand against such actions.