Man held after crossbow attack on police in Co Down

A 40-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after he fired a crossbow at police officers and brandished a sword in Co Down.

The incident in the Moorfield Court area of Kilkeel at around 9pm yesterday evening.

Police say members of the public reported that a man wearing a balaclava was armed with a crossbow and was in the street threatening residents.

When the PSNI arrived there was a four-hour stand-off with the man who had entered a nearby house.

In a statement, the PSNI said "local police and specialist Armed Response crews were subject to sustained attack from within the property, including being threatened with a large sword and targeted with crossbow bolts which narrowly missed responding officers".

The man was later removed from the house and arrested.

District Commander Superintendent Lynne Corbett said: "The officers who responded to this incident, both local uniform crews and specialist resources, should be commended for the bravery and professionalism shown in what must have been a frightening situation.

The ability to hold your nerve, remain calm and prioritise the safety of not only the public but also the suspect, in the face of continuous potentially life-threatening attack, is something that should not be underestimated.

"I would also like to express my thanks to local residents for the co-operation shown whilst we worked to bring the situation to a safe conclusion, and I am appealing to anyone in the local area with information that could assist the police investigation to please get in touch with us", she said.