Police close in on petrol bombers
Detectives hunting petrol bombers who attacked a house in Belfast while a mother and teenage son slept inside were tonight following a definite line of inquiry.
Two devices were hurled through a living room window of the property in the south east of the city early today.
Both failed to ignite, but a third bomb exploded against the front of the building on Laurelgrove Dale, causing scorch damage.
A woman and her 16-year-old son who were inside escaped injury.
It was the second time the house has been targeted: in July a hoax bomb was left on a doorstep.
The family are understood to have moved to the Castlereagh area from the strongly Catholic Markets district earlier this year.
But a source close to the police investigation disclosed that detectives do not believe any sectarian motive was involved.
“There’s a number of things officers are looking at and hope to be able to say more about soon,” he said.
The bombers struck just after midnight, using a stone to smash a living room window before tossing the devices inside.
Detectives believe a light coloured car, possibly a Ford Focus, may have been used by the gang. They urged any witnesses to contact them.
Police and public representatives claimed the attack could have been fatal.
Alasdair McDonnell, the SDLP South Belfast MP, said: “This was a serious attempt to do serious damage, to injure and probably to kill.
“Whatever the motive, this was a truly despicable act.
“Petrol-bombing a house at midnight when people are likely to be asleep is quite simply attempted murder.
“Our only protection from these would-be killers is to have them locked up as quickly as possible.”
Jimmy Spratt, a Democratic Unionist councillor for Castlereagh, was equally horrified.
He said: “This must be condemned. Nobody has the right to take the law into their own hands.
“Anybody with information on this should make it available to the Police Service of Northern Ireland.”
