Dissident republican terrorist carry out second gun attack on police in Belfast

PSNI officers came under gun attack in Belfast for a second night from dissident republican terror gangs.

The officers escaped injury when they were fired at in west Belfast on Friday evening.

Police said two shots struck an armoured land rover.

The mobile unit was on patrol on the Suffolk Road between the Stewartstown and Glen Roads at 11.45 pm.

On Thursday evening, 10 shots were fired at police vehicles in the Ardoyne area of north Belfast.

No-one was injured in either incident.

Police have appealed for anyone with information on the attack to contact them on 0845 600 8000.

Belfast Daily revealed on Thursday that dissidents have recently acquired a number of high powered assault rifles.

Police said the weapon used in the Ardoyne was a Kalashnikov rifle.

It was the latest in an escalation of attacks by dissident republicans on the security forces.

The terror gangs have used a wide variety of attacks – pipe bombs, undercar booby trap bomb, and forcing drivers to take beer keg bombs to police station and commercial targets.

It has pointed to a growing gap in intelligence on behalf of MI5 and the PSNI’s ‘C3’ Intelligence Branch which are tasked with infiltrating the republican terror groups and to help thwart attacks.

The latest gun attack in west Belfast has been widely condemned.

The PSNI’s commander for west and north Belfast Chief Supt George Clarke said: “For the second night in a row, dedicated community police officers have found themselves under attack from terrorists.

“It is fortunate that we are not dealing with fatalities this morning and those responsible are to be utterly condemned for their evil and reckless actions.

“These officers go out each day to serve this community and they should be free to do so without the threat of attack.”

West Belfast SDLP MLA and former Environment Minister Alex Attwood described the attacks as a “worrying trend”.

“This attack on the PSNI on patrol in west Belfast could have resulted in lose of life,” he said.

“I condemn this attempt to kill police officers.

“Those engaged in this type of reckless violence are not advancing any political ideal, they are hurting the community they claim to represent.”