Justice Minister, Claire Sugden has condemned the shooting of a police officer in North Belfast this evening.
Describing the shooting as a, "Mindless act," the Minister said, "The people who carried out this shooting did so with the sole intention of dragging Northern Ireland back to darker days.
"This is a sickening act which could easily have lead to a loss of life. My thoughts are with the police officer and his family at this time and indeed, with the wider PSNI family who will be shocked and saddened by this incident."
The Minister added: "There can be no tolerance of this horrific and reprehensible behaviour in our society. This is not what we want for the future of Northern Ireland and I condemn it whole-heartedly."
Notes to editors:
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