A number of cars, including one belonging to a heavily pregnant woman, were set a blaze in Newry last night (Sunday).
The incident occurred at around midnight in the Derrybeg area of the city.
Newry and Armagh MLA Liz Kimmins condemned what she branded as a “disgusting attack” which has left the “close knit community” in shock.
The Sinn Féin MLA said: “My colleague, Councillor Charlie Casey and I, have spoken with a couple who had their car and work van burnt in this incident and were extremely shook up.
“One of the victims is heavily pregnant and this has caused her and her husband huge stress. The wider implications of this attack are the fear and anxiety caused to the victims and the Derrybeg community, as well as the negative impact on people’s livelihoods.”
Ms Kimmins highlighted the “stark images” of ambulances queued outside Daisy Hill Hospital on Saturday night “which demonstrated the severe pressure our local hospital and our emergency services are under, and this anti-community criminal behaviour further compounds this”.
She added: “We are very lucky that no-one was seriously injured or worse in this very dangerous incident, the work van contained highly flammable products which if ignited could potentially have caused chaos.”
“The people of Derrybeg do not deserve this, and I, as the MLA for the area, condemn it in the strongest possible terms.
“I have emphasised to the PSNI the need for a strong, proactive response in dealing with this and would urge anyone with any information relating to this to contact the PSNI, or alternatively your local PCSP Representative or CRJ Newry.”
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