THREE men have been arrested after an attack overnight which saw a boat set alight and left a man hospitalised.
The incident outside a boat club in the Beach Road area of Portballintrae in Co. Antrim was sparked by a flag being displayed on a boat in the pier area, the PSNI confirmed this morning.
“At approximately 7.45pm on Monday, June 3 police received a report that an altercation had ensued between a number of men in the pier area concerning a flag that was displayed on a boat,” the PSNI’s Inspector Armour said.
“The boat was later set alight and extensively damaged,” they added.
The incident happened outside a boat club in the Beach Road area of PortballintraeOne man required hospital treatment for his injuries and three men, aged aged 25, 63 and 30, were arrested on suspicion of a number of offences including criminal damage and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
“The 63-year-old man has since been released on bail, whilst the other two men remain in custody.
“We are treating this report as a sectarian-motivated hate crime and we are keen to hear from anyone who was in the area at the time and noticed what happened,” the PSNI said.
“Anyone with any information or who may have mobile, CCTV or other footage can contact police on 101 quoting reference 1651 03/06/24.”
