Loyalist paramilitaries have been blamed for a shooting in which two Catholic brothers were seriously injured at their home in Derry. Mr Frankie and Mr Anthony Creane were watching television at their Garvagh Court home in the predominantly Protestant Caw area of Derry when a number of masked men burst in early yesterday morning.
Mr Frankie Creane (53) was shot in the leg, while his brother, Anthony (49), sustained bullet wounds to his upper leg and groin.
Frankie Creane was said to be in stable condition yesterday at Derry's Altnagelvin Hospital. Anthony Creane was taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast. Following surgery, he was said to be in a critical condition in the intensive care unit.
While the RUC confirmed the shooting was the work of a loyalist paramilitary group, it was unable to say which organisation was responsible. Local sources claimed the Ulster Defence Association carried out the attack, which has been condemned by politicians from both sides of the political divide.
Loyalist paramilitaries have been observing a ceasefire since 1994. But the Ulster Democratic Party's failure to win a seat at the recent Assembly elections has been seen by some as a threat to the peace process and the operation of the Assembly. The party has links with the UDA, which sometimes uses the cover name of the Ulster Freedom Fighters.
The DUP security spokesman, Mr Gregory Campbell, suggested the double shooting may have been in revenge for the murder of a Derry Protestant, Mr Paul Deeney, in April.
Mr Deeney was shot dead as he arrived at his home near the scene of yesterday morning's shooting.
The Sinn Fein deputy mayor of Derry, Ms Lynn Fleming, called on nationalists to exercise caution and vigilance following the attack.
"Last night's attack would appear to be the work of loyalists, and the RUC should state publicly which organisation it believes is responsible.
"This attack is but the latest in a long list of such incidents where Catholic families in isolated areas of the city are targeted for loyalist harassment, intimidation and violence," Ms Fleming said.
Condemning the incident, the SDLP councillor for the area, Mr Philip Kelly, said there was a great deal of fear that the shooting marked a return to tit-for-tat attacks between Catholics and Protestants.
In an interview yesterday on BBC Radio Ulster, the RUC Chief Constable, Mr Ronnie Flanagan, said he believed loyalist paramilitaries were involved in the attack, which he described as "a barbaric act".
He said paramilitary organisations of all sorts had demonstrated an ability in the past to stop attacks like this when it suited them. He also said he could not say which loyalist organisation was involved.
Mr Flanagan said he would brief the Northern Secretary on all recent attacks, as it was not his job "to determine definitions of cessations or to determine what constitutes a breach of those definitions".
He added: "Certain paramilitary organisations have continued to be involved in violent criminality. It is wrong and it must stop."