UDA blamed for attacks in city

Car outside one of the houses was badly damaged

A woman whose home and business in north Belfast were attacked has blamed the loyalist Ulster Defence Association.

It is understood shots were fired through the front door of Karen Truesdale's house in Brae Hill Crescent.

A barber's shop on the Crumlin Road, belonging to Ms Truesdale, was earlier destroyed by fire.

The blaze at the hair salon took place at about 1315 GMT on Friday.

No-one was injured in either incident.

Owner said her family was associated with Johnny Adair

Ms Truesdale said she believed she was targeted because her family has associations with former Ulster Freedom Fighters leader Johnny Adair.

"There were two women in with their two boys getting cut and I was standing cutting when two fellows come in and said everybody out.

"I wouldn't go out and I stood there and said what are you doing?" she said.

"They had cans of petrol and they threw it all over the floor and set alight to and I had to get out

Police said they were keen for any information on a small blue car seen in the Brae Hill Crescent area at the time of the shooting.

Meanwhile, police are investigating damage to houses in the Alliance Road area of north Belfast.

It is thought these incidents may also be linked to tensions within the UDA.

Property targeted

Earlier, loyalists from the lower Shankill area of Belfast were blamed for attacks on another two houses in the north of the city.

Windows in both properties were attacked at Westland Drive on Friday morning.

Local people said several car loads of men carried out the attack.

Maureen McClean: "Attacked several times"

A car outside one of the houses was also badly damaged.

One of the residents, Maureen McClean, has been attacked several times.

The other house belongs to a family who said they were forced to leave the lower Shankill.

Shankill loyalist John White declined to comment on the incident until he had more information.

There was an attack on the Carrickfergus home of White last week.

That incident was followed by an attempted bombing of a car belonging to a senior member of the UDA.

It is understood the explosives were contained in a tin box attached to John Gregg's car in Nendrum Gardens, Whiteabbey.

Pair expelled

White is an associate of former Ulster Defence Association (UDA) leader Johnny Adair.

In October, he and White were expelled by the UDA leadership.

The organisation later called for its members in the loyalist upper Shankill area of west Belfast to distance themselves from the two men.

A statement from the group claimed eight loyalist families had been attacked - attacks it claimed were linked to individuals in the lower Shankill.

In a coded message, the UDA warned Adair and former Ulster Democratic Party spokesman White there should be no further attacks.

Mr White blamed the UDA for the device left at his home.