McGuinness car attacked

A car carrying Martin McGuinness was attacked by loyalists today, Sinn Féin claimed.

A mob surrounded the vehicle outside council offices in Ballymoney, Co Antrim, as Mr McGuinness and a party colleague prepared to meet a number of groups from the area.

Stones and bottles were thrown and the crowd of a dozen kicked and hammered the car, according to Sinn Féin.

Mr McGuinness said: “Serious damage was caused before we were able to get away.”

Meanwhile 12 miles away, two paint bombs were thrown at the home of Coleraine SDLP councillor Billy Leonard.

After one penetrated an upstairs window, Mr Leonard went downstairs to find a binbag, which when examined by the army was found to contain a tin box, a battery, timer and pipe.