Bomb attack on leading loyalist

The area was cordoned off during security alert

Army bomb experts have dealt with a small bomb at the Belfast home of Shankill loyalist leader Johnny Adair.

The device exploded early on Wednesday, just hours after a man was shot in Carrickfergus.

Senior loyalist sources said the bomb incident was related to the loyalist feud and was carried out by the Ulster Defence Association.

They also said a gun attack in County Antrim in which a man was seriously injured on Tuesday was carried out by the UDA as part of the feud.

Johnny Adair: Slept through pipe bomb attack

Johnny Adair's associate John White said a pipe bomb device had exploded at the back of Adair's house early on Wednesday.

He said Adair and his family were in the house at the time but had slept through the explosion.

Tensions in the area have been heightened with the escalation of violence during the latest loyalist feud.

The feud began following the expulsion of Johnny Adair and John White from the Ulster Defence Association several months ago.

Police have sealed off the street while the army bomb disposal team examine the device.

Meanwhile, a man remains critically ill in hospital following the shooting in Carrickfergus, which police have linked to the loyalist feud.

Surgery

The attack happened shortly after 2030 GMT on Tuesday at a house at Dunluskin Gardens in Carrickfergus.

Police said two masked men burst into the house and opened fire, hitting the man several times.

Four men are being questioned in connection with the shooting.

Three of the men being questioned were arrested on Wednesday night.

Detective Superintendent Paul Hamlin who is leading the investigation said: "It would appear there was no quarter given. He has been shot several times."

Paul Hamlin: "He has been shot several times"

The victim's partner, who was also in the house at the time, was not injured.

The couple's young child, who was playing nearby, saw the gunmen run off across the road onto waste ground.

The victim underwent emergency surgery.

Detectives have appealed for information about the incident.

The attack is the third shooting in the province in the past three weeks.

On Boxing Day, Jonathan Stewart, 22, was shot dead in north Belfast.

Mr Stewart, who had no paramilitary links, was a relative of one of ex-UFF leader Johnny Adair's former associates.

And on 2 January, Roy Green, 32, was shot as he left a bar in the Ormeau area of south Belfast.

A former prisoner, Mr Green was a member of the Ulster Defence Association, but was said to have been critical of the organisation's leadership.

The paramilitary group, the Ulster Freedom Fighters - a cover name for the UDA - said it was behind the attack.