A man has been slightly injured in what police have described as a "clear attempted murder" in east Belfast.

The attack happened while the man was working at a garage on Isoline Street, off the Castlereagh Road, at about 1400 BST on Friday.

The police said it was not yet known if the shooting was connected to tensions among loyalists.

Witnesses said a gunman with a scarf around his face approached the man and fired a number of shots.

Man was working at garage when gunman opened fire

The victim, aged in his 30s, was grazed on the back by a bullet which ricocheted off a car.

Inspector Alan Little said: "This was a reckless act. Nobody approves of shootings in the area.

"This is senseless violence and I would just appeal to everyone to keep calm."

Hoax alert over van

Later on Friday night a bomb alert which saw 40 homes in east Belfast was declared a hoax by the Army.

People were moved out of their homes after a stolen van was abandoned with its doors open on Inverary Avenue.

It had been stolen from Lady's Road in east Belfast on Friday evening.

Ulster Unionist councillor Jim Rodgers said the alert had caused "massive inconvenience to senior citizens and people with young children" who had to wait in a council community centre while bomb experts examined the van.