Northern Ireland politicians receive bullets in letters

Dublin: Five Northern Ireland politicians received letters containing live bullets as an extremist Protestant campaign of death threats and illegal street protests escalated over Belfast City Council's decision to stop flying the British flag year-round.

The letters were intercepted by security screening staff on Wednesday at Stormont Parliamentary Building in east Belfast, the center of Northern Ireland's five and a half year old unity government.

Hours later, an off-duty police officer narrowly avoided being shot when confronted by a gunman outside his home in the mainly Protestant town of Bangor, about 149 kms from here with no group claiming responsibility for the attack.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland said the officer was targetted by gunshots but did not return fire during the failed ambush.

Three officials from the cross-community Alliance Party were targets of the bullet threats, Party leader and Northern Ireland Justice Minister David Ford; deputy leader Naomi Long; and Gerardine Mulvenna, mayor of an overwhelmingly Protestant
port town, Larne.

Both Long and Mulvenna already have had to flee their homes because of death threats. Alliance has borne the brunt of Protestant anger after
its Belfast councillors cast the deciding votes on Dec 3 restricting the UK flag's display to just 18 official days
each year at Belfast City Hall.

In the Belfast vote, Catholic politicians, who outnumber Protestants on the council, wanted to remove the British flag entirely, but Alliance persuaded the Catholics to back a compromise motion that keeps the flag flying on holidays and days associated with the British royal family.