POLICE IN BELFAST are appealing for information after three people were stabbed in separate attacks overnight.

In the first such incident, it was reported a 19-year-old man had been stabbed in back in the Mountainhill Road area at around 1.20am.

He was taken to hospital for treatment, where his condition is described as stable.

Two other males believed to have been involved in the incident escaped from the scene in a silver Clio towards the Antrim Road area.

Later, a 21-year-old received knife wounds – described as non-life-threatening – in an incident in the Montrose Street area of east Belfast.

The police call-out happened at 2.20am, and a 24-year-old man is currently assisting the PSNI with enquiries.

Rival groups

At around 3am, police received a report that loyalist and republican groups were fighting in the Ormeau Bridge area of the city.

Officers responded and a 28-year-old man was taken to hospital for treatment to injuries, which are not believed to be life threatening.

Police separated the two factions by 3.30am, and remained at the scene until after dawn to ensure the area remained calm.

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