A bomb attack in which a man was seriously injured in Co Antrim yesterday was described as a "blatant sectarian attempt at mass murder," according to a local politician.
The Alliance Party leader, Mr Sean Neeson, made the comment after a man suffered severe leg injuries when he triggered the booby-trap device yesterday morning.
A police spokesman said detectives were investigating the possibility of loyalist involvement in the bombing.
The victim, a man in his 20s, was on a pathway near the main Larne railway line close to Ballypollard Road, Magh eramourne when the bomb went off.
He was accompanied by two men, both of whom were treated for shock. The victim was taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast for treatment. He was believed to be a Protestant, and his two friends were Catholics.
The three had been on their way to dig for fishing bait. It is understood that one of the men who accompanied the victim was known to go digging for bait at the same location every Sunday and that he was usually on his own.
This man is believed to have been the bombers' intended target.
Mr Neeson, who is an Assembly member for East Antrim, called for an investigation into the activities of loyalists in the area.
"I obviously condemn this incident - it appears to be a blatant attempt to carry out a sectarian murder," he said.
Inspt Peter Miller of Larne RUC station described the explosion as an "indiscriminate attack".
The local SDLP Assemblyman for the area also condemned the attack. Mr Danny O'Connor said it had been "sinister" and urged anyone with information to help police with their inquiries. "Anyone could have stumbled on this device and activated it and that's what makes this particularly appalling," he said.
"But it is also sinister because we have not seen a device of this kind used in this area for some time and it means someone with a degree of bomb-making expertise is operating near Larne."