NI: Petrol-bombers 'set themselves on fire'

Attackers who petrol-bombed a west Belfast house injuring three people are thought to have set themselves on fire.

Two men were seen running from the scene of the attack and police said today there were reports of their clothing being on fire.

They appealed for anyone who treated people for burns overnight to contact them urgently.

The attack is believed to be the latest episode in a bitter feud between two families which has resulted in one murder and hundreds of other incidents.

One man was being treated in hospital for serious burns after the attack on the house in New Barnsley Crescent.

Another man and woman were being treated for lesser injuries, said police. All are in their late teens or early 20s.

The attack was launched just after 10pm last night when a woman and two friends were in the house.

Two families have been locked in a feud for most of the year. Police said in September that more than £1m (€1.5m) had been spent on dealing with more than 600 incidents linked to the feud.

Incidents have ranged from arson attacks to threats to kill.

Sinn Féin councillor Marie Cush appealed for an end to the violence.

“I know the young woman well and have sat down with her on several occasions before,” she said.

“I am appalled at this incident. We have made many calls for these attacks to stop and we continue to condemn them.

“There is no place in the community for people who continually attack property and endanger the lives not only of those who live in the houses that are being attacked but of those living next door to them.

“People have had enough. They are sick of it.

“If the people behind these attacks are going to pull each other apart, they should know they are not going to pull this community down with them.”

The Police Service of Northern Ireland issued special appeals for help in tracking those responsible.

They said they wanted to hear from anyone who noticed people carrying containers which could have contained petrol and from filling station staff about anyone who had bought fuel in a container in recent days.