UDA veteran hunted over attempted murder

EXCLUSIVE: POLICE are bracing themselves for further bloodletting after a man was stabbed in the Shankill area on Saturday night.

Belast Daily can reveal that Dee Coleman underwent surgery at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast for a serious knife wound.

He is now in a stable condition in hospital but police fear some loyalists in west Belfast may try and avenge the murder bid.

Loyalist sources said the attack happened after Coleman had been in a fight with two other loyalists.

“Dee is a hard man and he beat Darryl Ritiche and Daniel Austen together.

“Then on Saturday night he was stabbed by a UDA veteran.”

The attack, which happened around 7.40 pm, has sparked a number tit-for-tat attacks in the Shankill Road area of west Belfast.

In one incident, a car belonging to the UDA’s west Belfast brigadier, Matt Kincaid, was attacked.

Following the stabbing, a 29-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

However, after several hours of questioning the suspect was released without charge.

A loyalist source said: “The guy arrested didn’t do the stabbing.

“The attack was carried out by a UDA veteran. He is the one the police should be arresting for this attack.”

On Sunday evening, the windows in a number of homes were smashed in what police believe is directly linked to the stab attack.

The source added: “If police don’t put a lid on this somebody is going to get murdered.

“People don’t want this coming up to Christmas. Wise heads should intervene before we are all walking behind a coffin this Christmas.”

Anyone who has information or anyone who was in the area at the time of the incident is asked to contact PSNI.