Catholic businessman escapes bomb attack in Castlewellan

A Catholic businessman in Co Down narrowly escaped death when he triggered a booby-trap bomb left outside his home yesterday. The outlawed loyalist Orange Volunteers admitted it had planted the device.

Mr Francis Trainor, who runs a scrap-yard business in Castlewellan, suffered relatively minor injuries when he was caught in the explosion shortly after noon yesterday. RUC Inspector Kazik Rudewicz said he could have been killed.

Mr Trainor, who is in his 50s, either kicked a hand grenade, or the command wire set to trigger the grenade, that was placed at the entrance to his business. "As he kicked the device it went rolling away from him before exploding. Had it not done so the victim probably would have been more seriously injured, perhaps even dead," Insp Rudewicz said.

Mr Eamonn O'Neill, the SDLP Assembly member for the area, described the Trainor family as hard-working and industrious. "They are totally innocent of any reason to be targeted. This is a totally random sectarian attack."

Mr Conor Murphy, a Sinn Fein Assembly member for the area, said the attack was purely sectarian, while Mr Eddie McGrady, the SDLP MP for South Down, said he was grateful the bomb had not caused serious injury.

Mr Fra Halligan, of the Irish Republican Socialist Party, said this latest attack proved the Belfast Agreement had nothing to offer.