Gunmen fire on police in Belfast

BELFAST. January 6. KAZINFORM Riots have broken out in Belfast after police came under gun attack for the first time in the continuing violent loyalist flag dispute.
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A taxi was hijacked and there are reports that a bus was set on fire just hours after shots were fired at police lines along the Newtownards Road in the east of the city, following a loyalist rally.

Police confirmed they were investigating reports of gunshots directed at officers.

A spokesman said two men had been arrested, including a 38-year-old who will face charges of attempted murder.

The shooting incident marks a significant change in the continued loyalist protests against Belfast city council's decision to restrict the flying of the union flag atop City Hall to 17 designated days. Until then, police had come under attack from petrol bombs, bricks, bottles and other missiles, Kazinform cites the Guardian.

The chairman of the Police Federation, Terry Spence, said he had no doubt that paramilitaries had been involved in the violence.

"This is a very sinister development and quite clearly the police came under fire this afternoon from a gunman," he said.

"I think what it clearly does demonstrate is that there has been paramilitary involvement in these attacks on police and it has been orchestrated, in the case of east Belfast, by the UVF [Ulster Volunteer Force]."

Rioting continued along the Newtownards Road as 100 loyalists attacked PSNI officers.

At one stage police used a water cannon to force demonstrators away from the nearby Catholic Short Strand district. Vehicles were hijacked and set alight and there were also reports of petrol bombs being thrown. Earlier, riot squad officers had been bombarded with bricks, bottles, fireworks and smoke canisters.The protesters had been returning to the east of the city after a rally on Saturday lunchtime at City Hall.

Nine men and two women aged between 20 and 52 were expected to appear at a special late sitting of Belfast magistrates court in connection with riots over the previous 48 hours.

Nine police officers were injured in Friday's trouble, bringing the total number of police casualties since the protests began against the new flag policy to more than 40.

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