Revulsion after stabbing incident

One resident has said she was afraid to leave her own home.

Police are appealing for information following the assault in Albert Street.

A man in his 20s was walking on the street when he was assaulted by two males armed with knives.

Initial enquiries suggest that the assailants made their escape in a waiting car, driven by a third male.

The man was taken to hospital with stab wounds to his back. His injuries were not believed to be life-threatening.

Sinn Fin councillor Johnny McGibbon described the attack as “totally unacceptable.”

He said: “At any time, unprovoked violence on our streets is unacceptable but the use of lethal weapons brings this type of violence to a new sphere. It is only through good luck and good fortune that we are not attending the funeral of a murder victim this week.

"This is not the type of situation that we want developing on our streets and both the authorities and the general public have a role to play in ensuring that this type of action is nipped in the bud.”

Mr McGibbon added: “The authorities have to clamp down hard on anyone caught with offensive weapons and the general public has to alert the police if they see or know of anyone who has this type of weapon.”

Anyone with information about the incident or who witnessed suspicious activity should contact detectives by calling 0845 600 8000.

Alternatively, information about crime can be passed anonymously to the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111.