A gang who stabbed five people as they rampaged through a packed coach in Co Down may have wielded a Samurai sword, it emerged tonight.
Detectives hunting the thugs who caused mayhem outside a nightclub in Newry believe a hit and run collision that injured a woman walking through the city's entertainment district could also be connected to the violence.
There were also claims that a man was beaten with a hammer as he left one of the main bars.
Community representatives who said they were sickened by months of violence that has left pensioners too frightened to venture outside held an urgent meeting tonight.
Sinn Féin activist Mr Ewan Morgan said: "People living in the area say it resembles a battle scene every Friday and Saturday night.
"People are getting out of their trees on alcohol or worse, getting into cars and mounting the footpaths. "When I was going to discos Samurai swords and lump hammers were not part of the accessories."
Trouble flared when a Ford Fiesta drove into a parked coach at the Merchant's Quay and Francis Street junction of the city at 2.30 a.m. today.
People in the car jumped out and battered the bus, smashing windows. They then went for the passengers with what police said was some sort of bladed weapon.
It is believed either a sword or axe was used. None of the injuries are believed to be life threatening. At around the same time in the area a woman was hit by a dark-coloured Vauxhall Vectra.
She was treated in hospital for minor wounds. Residents who have been pleading for a clampdown on the weekend hooligans met in a local church hall to plot a fresh course of action.
"About 95 per cent of the people in that area are in their 60s, 70s or 80s," said Mr Morgan. "Their gardens are being used as urinals and then there's the noise factor. "Their quality of life has been compromised."