The family of a man shot six times in the legs on Saturday in his home in Derry have blamed "renegade members of the IRA" for the attack.
Mr William Ward (38) was sitting in the living room of his home at Inniscarn Crescent in the Creggan area when six masked men burst in and shot him. He was in a stable condition in hospital yesterday.
Mr Ward's wife, Anne-Marie, said she was convinced her husband had been shot because he spoke out against a 15-man gang who forced their way into the house earlier this week and threatened their 16-year-old son.
According to Ms Ward, the gang forced her son to watch his father being shot and threatened to shoot her as well.
The Sinn Fein chairman, Mr Mitchel McLaughlin, has condemned the attack. He said: "Sinn Fein's position on this type of activity is a matter of public record. They are wrong and must stop. They do not contribute to solving the problems of criminality and anti-community behaviour."
Meanwhile, the RUC has launched a murder investigation after a man was beaten to death in his flat on the outskirts of North Belfast.
Mr Andrew Millar (54) sustained severe head injuries in the attack in the Glenville Park area early yesterday. His body was discovered by a neighbour, who was woken by the sound of breaking glass.
The police have not yet established a motive for the murder.
In the Twinbrook area of west Belfast, a 17-year-old was seriously assaulted by at least three men who beat him over the head with a bottle at around 1 a.m. yesterday.
The youth needed 60 stitches for injuries to his face. He will also require microsurgery for serious injuries to his hand.