Violence Follows Arrests

There has been a weekend of street trouble in parts of Co Armagh.

Late last night, motorists were urged to avoid the Drumbeg area of Craigavon after two cars were hijacked then set on fire.

The vehicles were set alight on the Tullygally Road and a small crowd who gathered eventually dispersed.

Railway services in the area were also disrupted for a period last night following reports of a suspicious object left on the line.

On Saturday night, the town of Lurgan was also tense as police came under attack by stone-throwing youths.

Around 20 young people took to the streets and pelted police with missiles as they carried out searches in the Co Armagh town. They also threw barricades across to block the railway lines.

Earlier, detectives had arrested prominent republican Colin Duffy in connection with the murders of two soldiers last weekend at Massereene barracks in Antrim. Petrol bombs were also thrown during the trouble on Saturday night as around 20 young people gathered in the Lake Street area of the town. One police officer was struck by a brick and suffered an injured arm.

Two firearms and ammunition were also seized during a planned search in the area, while a security alert in the Allenhill Park area of the town was declared a hoax.

The incident was sparked around 2.20am yesterday when a suspicious object was spotted by a member of the public.

Around a dozen homes were evacuated while experts from the Army’s bomb disposal unit were tasked to the scene.

(BMcC/JM)