Children attacked outside school

The incident happened outside St Gabriel's Secondary School

Police are trying to establish the motive for an attack on children outside a secondary school in north Belfast.

A man attempted to attack a group of Catholic schoolboys outside St Gabriel's Secondary School on Crumlin Road at about 0830 BST on Thursday.

The man was driving a scooter and was thought to have been carrying an iron bar.

One of the boys was grabbed by the man, but he managed to escape.

No-one was injured in the attack.

The man made off in the direction of Hesketh Road.

Superintendent David Boultwood said police were still in the early stages of the investigation, and were working to establish whether the motive was sectarian.

Paint was thrown into several houses

Meanwhile, police believe attacks on several houses and cars in north Belfast on Wednesday night may have been retaliation for attacks on Protestant homes earlier this week.

Fireworks and paint were thrown during the attacks on the homes of Catholic families.

Three windows were smashed at a house in Somerdale Park at about 2130 BST.

Fireworks thrown through the windows caused extensive damage to a living room and a bathroom.

At about the same time in Kingsmere Avenue, two windows were smashed in a house before two bottles filled with paint were thrown inside, extensively damaging the living room.

In what is believed to have been retaliation for the earlier attacks, bottles filled with paint were thrown at three houses in the Mountainview Park and Mountainview Gardens areas at about 2300 BST, causing damage to exterior walls.

After a relatively quiet summer, the last thing people in north Belfast need is the escalation of trouble night after night Nigel Dodds North Belfast MP

Windows of several cars were smashed and paint was thrown over the vehicles.

The police say no-one was injured in any of the attacks, but a number of people suffered shock.

A mother, who was in one of the houses with her two-year-old son, said she was woken up by sound of her windows breaking.

North Belfast MP Nigel Dodds described the attacks as "completely unacceptable".

"After a relatively quiet summer, the last thing people in north Belfast need is the escalation of trouble night after night," said the Democratic Unionist MP.