Man seriously burnt in petrol bomb attack

A man has been taken to hospital and a dog has died following a petrol bomb attack on a house in Newry.

Police received a report at about 02:20 GMT that the explosive had been thrown through the living room window of a house in Clonmore in Armagh Road in the city.

A man in his 50s was in the living room at the time of the incident and sustained a serious burn injury. He remains in hospital.

The blaze was put out by firefighters.

Three people, including a teenager, were upstairs at the time of the attack.

They were able to make their way out of the burning property and have been treated for smoke inhalation.

The family's pet dog died in the blaze.

"This was a very serious incident when a property was deliberately set on fire with clear intent to risk life and destroy someone's home," Det Insp Moffett said.

"A neighbouring home was also smoke damaged as a result of this attack which we are investigating as arson with intent to endanger life."

Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) MLA for Newry and Armagh, Justin McNulty, condemned the attack.

He said it had the potential to cause "innocent fatalities".

"Nobody expects something like this to happen on their doorsteps and this was clearly a violent attack with an intent to cause real harm," he said.

McNulty described it as a "terribly frightening" ordeal for neighbours.

He urged anyone who witnessed the attack to contact the PSNI.

"Those responsible for such a reckless attack must be held accountable for their actions," he said.

Local Sinn Féin councillor Geraldine Kearns said the attack was "wrong".

"I want to wish the man who remains in hospital a speedy recovery.