'A disgusting act of violence' - Man dies following machete attack in Northern Ireland

A man has died following a serious assault in Co Tyrone in which two people were attacked with a machete.

Police have arrested one man on suspicion of murder and attempted murder following the incident in Omagh on Sunday.

Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell said: “We received a report at around 11.55pm that two men had been assaulted by a man armed with a machete, outside a house, in the Slievecoole Park area of the town.

“Officers attended, along with colleagues from the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service.

“Sadly, one of the men, aged 53, died a short time later.

“The other man was taken to hospital for treatment of injuries to his hand.

“A 20-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder, and is currently in police custody.

“In order to establish what happened, I am appealing to anyone who was in the Slievecoole Park area or licensed premises in the Gortin Road area on Sunday evening, prior to or around the time the assault was reported to us, and who saw what happened to get in touch.

“Did you see anyone acting suspiciously, or might you have captured dashcam footage?

“If you have any information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, please call detectives on 101 and quote reference number 1874 of 16/10/22.” 

Alliance councillor Stephen Donnelly said people in the town were “deeply disturbed” by the events.

He said: “My thoughts are with the loved ones of the victim of this horrendous attack.

“It is a disgusting act of violence and I know people across the local community are deeply disturbed by it.

“I hope the victim who survived is able to recover from his injuries.

“I urge anyone who has information on this incident to contact police with it immediately.”