A three-year-old boy was abducted from his home on the outskirts of west Belfast today.
Police launched a hunt after the child's mother reported her estranged partner had snatched the child.
The man went to the woman's home in the Poleglass area at 4 a.m. and took the child.
Police in the area appealed to the public for sightings of the man and child, and said the man was very distinctive - half of his right ear is missing and his right arm is in plaster.
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Detectives hunting for the child put checks on air and sea exits from Northern Ireland and Border roads into the Republic.
The man is described as being about 5ft 8in tall, of athletic build and with short cropped mousy hair. He is thought to be driving a large dark coloured car.