THE ramming of a west Belfast barber's shop and an arson attack on a bar, have been linked to the murder of Eamonn Magee Jnr.
Mo's Turkish Barbers, at Mount Eagles Square near Dunmurry, was targeted in the early hours of yesterday morning when a van crashed at speed into the shop twice causing extensive damage to shutters and the interior.
Police are also probing whether the incident is linked to an arson attack on Beckett's Bar on nearby on the Stewartstown Road in the early hours of Friday.
Orhan Koca (32). who has been charged with the boxer's murder, had worked as a trainee at the barber's shop and as a barman at Beckett's.
Koca is currently on remand in prison, but had requested that he be segregated after he was recently attacked and injured by another prisoner in Maghaberry jail.
It is the second attack in the space of a month on Mehmet 'Mo' Oner's barbers in the wake of the murder of 22-year-old Eamonm Magee Jnr on May 30.
A son of former WBU welterweight world champion Eamonn Magee, the university student was stabbed multiple times with a kitchen knife in Twinbrook.
Mr Oner (41) had described earlier this month, how he was threatened at his barber's shop and told he had "48 hours" to leave the area after a car was rammed into the front of his business premises overnight.
Speaking to the Irish News as he again cleaned up his shop yesterday morning, Mr Oner said he feared someone would lose their life but added he would not be intimidated from his business.
"This is only damage to things, but I am fearful that this will end the the death of innocent people. You can fix things, but you can't fix people. I am sorry about the murder of Mr Magee, but it has nothing to do with me.
"This shop has apartments above and there is a pregnant lady living there, there is a family beside us with a four-year-old child and it only takes a petrol bomb or fire to put the lives of the residents in danger," he said.
Mr Oner said he was heartened by community support who last night held a rally outside the shop calling for an end to the attacks.
One eyewitness described how he saw a van crash twice into one of the shop windows.
"I heard tyres screeching and I jumped up and looked out the window and saw a blue Ford Comet van parked inside the shop. It backed up and rammed into the shop at speed for the second time," said the man who did not want to be named.
The incident was also captured inside the store on CCTV cameras.
The attack came as attempts were made to start a blaze at about 3.30am at Beckett’s Bar on the Stewartstown Road on Friday after petrol was poured round the outside of the premises.
A spokesman for the bar said the 25 staff working there felt intimidated and frightened after the attack, adding that a security guard could have been killed.
"Management and staff at Beckett's have "bent over backwards" in assisting police investigating Mr Magee's murder," he said.
“One line of inquiry is the bar being targeted on the back of a social media campaign, staff are being harassed. This has all arisen from the murder of young Eamonn Magee."
Police said they were investigating a "possible link" between the two attacks and the murder of Eamonn Magee Jr.
Det Ch Insp John McVea added there was no justification for the attacks.
"We are aware of suggestions that these incidents may well be borne out of some misplaced hostility towards various businesses and individuals following Eamonn's tragic murder."
Sinn Féin councillor for the area Stephen Magennis said he was "disgusted" by the attacks and said the security man was "lucky" to escape the blaze at Becketts.
“There have been a few threats to Beckett’s because they employed the man who has been charged with the young Eamonn Magee murder."
SDLP Councillor Brian Heading said: "Regardless of motivation, these incidents must stop before someone is seriously injured as a result of what can only be described as reckless behaviour."
