Feud victim's home attacked

The attack follows Mr Rocket's funeral on Saturday

The home of a man shot dead in the escalating loyalist feud in Belfast has been destroyed in an arson attack less than a week after his murder.

Sam Rocket, 22, was shot dead by Ulster Freedom Fighters gunmen on the night of 23 August, the third victim of the feud between that group and the Ulster Volunteer Force.

According to witnesses a gang of men drove up to the house in the loyalist area of Oakpark in north Belfast on Monday afternoon.

They set fire to the house and drove away. No-one was in the house, which is normally occupied by Mr Rocket's girlfriend and child, at the time.

Part of the Oldpark area was cordoned off by police and soldiers after the attack.

It is understood the incident took place as attempts were made to recover some furniture from the house.

Rival factions gathered and police attempted to keep them apart. At that stage smoke was spotted coming from inside the house.

Appeal for calm

Mr Rocket had connections to the UVF and is believed to have been murdered in reprisal for two other murders.

Jackie Coulter, a senior Ulster Defence Association (cover name for UFF) member, and another man, Bobby Mahood, were shot dead as they sat in a jeep outside a bookmakers on the Crumlin Road on 21 August.

Mr Rocket was buried on Saturday.

The latest attack follows an appeal for calm earlier on Monday.

There have been conflicting reports about who was responsible for the attack.

It has been condemned by Progressive Unionist Party member William Smith who blamed the UDA.

"What you're seeing on the streets of the lower Shankill is the same as what you've seen in Kosovo where mob rule runs around putting people out of their homes.

"You don't have to be connected to any paramilitary. If you don't agree with what they say, they put you out and put their own cronies in your house."

He said there had been hope that the situation was "moving on" in the wake of an appeal for calm by the Shankill's religious and community leaders earlier on Monday.

The PUP is associated with the UVF.

John White: Escalation "disastrous" for Shankill Road

Religious and community leaders in the Shankill area urged paramilitaries to "find another way to resolve their conflict".

The appeal for calm was welcomed by Ulster Democratic Party chairman John White who said paramilitaries on both sides appreciated that people on the Shankill Road were "living in fear".

"A further escalation would be totally disastrous for the people on the Shankill Road - that's why it has to stop now."

The Ulster Democratic Party has links with the UDA and UFF.

However, the PUP representative was critical of Mr White's comments and added that there had been a feeling that the situation had been improving before the attack.

"When an incident like this happens it shows that those people calling for peace are not genuine," said Mr Smith.