Leading loyalist shot in face

Gunman ambushed Jim Gray at Garnerville

A senior member of the loyalist paramilitary UDA is recovering after being shot in the face in east Belfast.

Loyalist sources have blamed another loyalist paramilitary group, the Loyalist Volunteer Force, for the attempted murder.

Jim Gray, who is in his 40s, was attacked about 2200 BST on Monday as he arrived outside a house in Glenlea Park, Garnerville.

As he and a friend stood by their car, a gunman walked up to them and opened fire.

The gunman then chased them, but Jim Gray managed to reach Garnerville police training college where he was given first aid.

We have to recognise that these are mafia organisations and the most probable cause is some sort of sordid drugs war or business interests war

Assistant chief constable Alan McQuillan

He was taken to the nearby Ulster Hospital, where his condition is described as stable.

Assistant chief constable Alan McQuillan said the shooting was "loosely related" to the murder of Stephen Warnock, a member of the LVF on Friday.

He said: "We have a very small group of people here in terms of the loyalist paramilitary groups on both sides who seem to be in some sort of dispute within their ranks."

Stephen Warnock, 35, a member of the Loyalist Volunteer Force, was shot dead in Newtownards in County Down as he sat in his BMW car. His three-year-old daughter sat in the back seat but was not injured.

His funeral is being held on Tuesday.

Alan McQuillan: "Dispute within loyalist ranks"

Mr McQuillan said he believed the murder was the result of "inter-loyalist violence" but it was too early to speculate on the motive.

Another leading loyalist, David Mahood, escaped injury when a gunman fired a shot at his car on the Oldpark Road in north Belfast on Thursday.

Mr Mahood, who has links with the paramilitary Ulster Defence Association, blamed republicans for the shooting, but Sinn Fein said they believed other loyalists were behind it.

Mr McQuillan said he had "no evidence" republicans were involved.

Analysing the situation within the loyalist community, Mr McQuillan said: "In the last three weeks we have seen a series of tensions breaking out into shooting in relation to factions within loyalist groups.

"Quite what the motive of that is, is not clear, but we have to recognise that these are mafia organisations and the most probable cause is some sort of sordid drugs war or business interests war between those groups."

Ulster Unionist Belfast councillor Jim Rodgers condemned the latest attack.

He said: "Once again we have a mainstream loyalist paramilitary organisation taking the law into their own hands by acting as judge, jury and executioner."