Man held over fire-bomb attacks

A man was arrested today by detectives investigating incendiary bomb attacks by dissident republicans in the North.

He was detained in the Greater Belfast area after three stores in the city were hit.

The man, aged 39, was taken in for questioning in Antrim.

Millions of pounds-worth of damage was caused and at least 50 jobs are under threat after flames swept through the shops as an all-party group of politicians prepared to ask British Chancellor Gordon Brown for a £5bn (€7.5bn) peace dividend to underpin any future political settlement in the North.

One DIY store in the south of the city was completely destroyed. A neighbouring toy shop was also hit when a firebomb exploded among a rack of teddy bears, and in the city centre a sports shop was also damaged.

Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain, who claimed the dissidents were attempting to derail the latest initiative to try to get the suspended powersharing government at Stormont up and running again by next spring, has promised the bombers will be hunted down.

With politicians on all sides, including Sinn Féin, condemning the attacks, police confirmed today that a senior detective was appointed some time ago to co-ordinate the police investigation into dissident republican terrorist activity going back a year.

The man held today is also expected to be questioned about incendiary bomb attacks in Newry, Co Down, earlier this year when four stores were hit.

As part of their investigations, police also carried out a series of searches today in the Glengormley and Newtownabbey areas of north Belfast and Killough, Co Down.