LONDON
A senior member of Northern Ireland’s paramilitary Ulster Defence Association (UDA) has been killed at home, police said on Thursday.
Colin Lindsay, 47, was slain in an attack with a samurai sword at his home on the Belvoir housing estate, South Belfast, on Wednesday evening.
In a statement, the Police Service of Northern Ireland said another man was seriously injured in the attack and underwent surgery for injuries to his neck and arm. Police described his condition as “critical”.
Detective Chief Inspector Richard Campbell said a man was arrested at the scene and the sword was recovered. “This was an extremely violent attack which has left one man dead and another seriously injured,” he added.
The Belfast Telegraph newspaper reported the three men were believed to have known each other and had been drinking together before the attack, which was not being linked to any dispute or feud within loyalism - the pro-British political stance of the UDA.
The UDA carried out killings during Northern Ireland’s “Troubles” under the cover name of the Ulster Freedom Fighters, mostly targeting Roman Catholic civilians. It was part of the 1994 cease-fire but later lapsed into violence.
