'Imminent' UDA threats made against Sunday World journalists

"Imminent threats" have been made against two journalists working for the Sunday World newspaper by loyalist paramilitaries, the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has said.

The NUJ said the threats came from the West Belfast Ulster Defence Association (UDA).

Amnesty International condemned the threats and called it a "despicable attempt to intimidate journalists".

Earlier this week, a threat was made against a Belfast Telegraph journalist.

In a statement on Saturday night, Seamus Dooley, the NUJ's assistant general secretary, said it welcomed "the fact that the journalists concerned have received the full support of their employer".

He added the PSNI is engaged with both journalists.

The NUJ said one of its members was contacted in the middle of the night by police and alerted to the threat, while another one of its members was also threatened.

Patrick Corrigan, Amnesty International's Northern Ireland programme director, said journalists, and "particularly those investigating illegal paramilitary and criminal activity", were operating in "a climate of fear".

He called for police to take more immediate action.

In May, threats were also issued to a number of reporters at the Sunday Life and Sunday World newspapers.