Orange hall destroyed by fire was being rebuilt after previous attack

Local politicians have condemned a suspected arson attack which destroyed an Orange hall in Co Tyrone early on Saturday

Local politicians have condemned a suspected arson attack which destroyed an Orange hall in Co Tyrone early on Saturday. The hall, in the predominantly nationalist village of Donaghmore, had been targeted by arsonists on seven previous occasions.

The hall was undergoing renovation after the last arson attack in May 1999 and was to be reopened shortly. The RUC confirmed that there was no sign of forced entry, but local politicians and Orange Order members said they had no doubt that the fire had been started deliberately.

The Ulster Unionist MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone, Mr Ken Maginnis, described the incident as "an outrage which demonstrated an intolerance within elements of the nationalist community".

Elsewhere, a mobile classroom at St Ciaran's primary school in Poleglass, west Belfast, was extensively damaged in an arson attack early on Sunday.

READ MORE

Two teenagers and two girls aged five and 10 escaped injury in a petrol-bomb attack on a house in Antrim on Saturday night. A stone was thrown through a window, narrowly missing the five-year-old, followed by a petrol-bomb, which failed to ignite. Police have ruled out a sectarian motive for the attack.

Minor smoke damage was caused to a GAA hall in Garvagh, Co Derry, when a fire broke out on Saturday night. Police have appealed to anybody who saw suspicious activity in the area to contact them.