Executed loyalist targeted previously

A prominent loyalist paramilitary member shot dead in Belfast had survived a previous assassination bid.

Ulster Defence Association (UDA) member, John Boreland, who was in his mid-forties, was gunned down in Sunningdale Gardens, in the unionist Ballysillan area of north Belfast, at 9.50pm on Sunday.

Two years ago, the victim, who was linked with local criminality, was shot in the thigh by rival loyalists. The killing has prompted fears of an escalation of violence between loyalist factions.