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Man has gun pointed at his head by police during armed raid

Police officers confront a man in Aspen Walk in the early hours of Wedneday. Picture by Kevin Scott
Police officers confront a man in Aspen Walk in the early hours of Wedneday. Picture by Kevin Scott Police officers confront a man in Aspen Walk in the early hours of Wedneday. Picture by Kevin Scott

POLICE have been accused of allowing dissident republicans to fill a vacuum in a troubled west Belfast estate.

It came after a dramatic armed police stand-off in Twinbrook was captured on camera.

Police arrested two men, aged 25 and 35, on suspicion of attempted murder and at one point an officer held a gun to a man's head.

Video footage shows a woman and two men emerging from the Aspen Walk house as armed officers point weapons at the property.

The armed response team arrived after a 41-year-old man, named locally as Aaron Curran, was shot in the leg in nearby Glasvey Drive shortly before midnight on Tuesday.

He was rushed to hospital for treatment but was in a stable condition on Wednesday night.

There had been speculation that the man was targeted in a paramilitary style attack by dissident republicans, but this has been ruled out by local sources.

Earlier in the evening a man was reportedly threatened by people who had been drinking together at a party.

It is understood that an altercation broke out, during which the victim suffered a serious shotgun wound to the leg.

The shooting is the latest in a series of violent actions in an area widely regarded as close to lawless.

Last month around 100 people took to the streets to call for an end to anti-social behaviour in the Twinbrook area.

The family of Christopher Meli (20), who was beaten to death in December, led the 'Take Our Streets Back' rally close to the murder scene.

In October, around 200 youths went on the rampage and set fire to a former pub in Twinbrook.

SDLP councillor Brian Heading said that police urgently needed to "fill a vacuum" being filled by dissident republicans.

"The police have produced the results on this occasion but there needs to be a strategy. The dissidents have a strategy of filling a vacuum which the police policy has allowed to develop," he said.

Sinn Féin MLA Jennifer McCann said she "totally condemned" the shooting.

"Local people are shocked and angered that a man has been shot and seriously injured in their area," she said.

Police appealed for information.