A Sinn Féin minister in the Northern Ireland Executive has been warned of an attempt to murder him, he said today.
Regional development minister Conor Murphy has been advised by police that loyalist paramilitaries tried to kill him over the weekend, he said.
The Newry and Armagh Sinn Féin MP said the failed bid was perpetrated by a group called the Orange Volunteers.
¿I was informed last night by the PSNI that a unionist paramilitary gang calling itself the Orange Volunteers are claiming to have carried out a murder attempt on myself over the weekend in the Newry area,¿ he said.
¿This information follows on from a number of pipe bombs left in the Cookstown area claimed by the same gang, one adjacent to the home of party colleague Councillor John McNamee.
¿Sinn Féin are obviously taking these events seriously. But we will not allow reactionary unionist elements to deflect us from our work in representing people and driving forward the United Ireland agenda," he said.
Mr Murphy called on unionist leaders to condemn "attempts to attack the political process from elements within their community.¿
PA