The 92-year-old mother of a prominent Fermanagh Ulster Unionist is recovering from shock after a pipe bomb attack on her home. Police believe it was a case of mistaken identity, and a suspicious device was found at a nearby house shortly afterwards.
Mrs Gladys Patterson, mother of the former Assembly member Ms Joan Carson, was sleeping in a downstairs bedroom when an explosion damaged the living room of her house in the Brook area of Enniskillen. She was taken to her nephew's home in Lisbellaw, a short distance away.
There was a chorus of condemnation from the Northern Ireland Office and the political parties.
Security Minister Ms Jane Kennedy said: "This is a shocking attack on a vulnerable member of our society which I utterly condemn. There can be no justification for such an evil act, especially shocking when it takes place in the depths of night and causes terror to a 92-year-old woman."
Mr Tom Elliott, a newly elected Ulster Unionist Assemblyman, said: "All right-thinking people will be abhorred by this evil attack."
The SDLP's Mr Tommy Gallagher said the attack was "vicious and sinister".