Four masked men, believed to have been armed with a knife and handgun, forced their way into a house in north Belfast and attacked a man and woman before bundling them into vehicles and leaving them in Ardoyne.
Police have described it as ‘a despicable, vicious and prolonged attack.’
The incident happened at Landsdowne Road at around 9:30pm on Sunday (15 December).
Detective Inspector Michael McDonnell said the attackers spent some time ransacking the property and assaulted a man.
He said they then forced the man into a white ford transit van and a woman into a red Mercedes SUV. The victims were then driven around, before both vehicles were parked in the Ardoyne area.
“At this point, the male victim was able to free himself and raise the alarm. The female occupant of the other vehicle was subsequently located and freed. She was understandably terrified, but physically unharmed,” said Detective Inspector Michael McDonnell.
He said this was a ‘despicable, vicious and prolonged attack’ which has left the victims very shaken.
“I am appealing to anyone within the Landsdowne Road area to think about any vehicles or persons they may have seen in the area in recent days and weeks who may have been acting suspiciously.
“In particular, I am appealing to anyone in the area with CCTV, or indeed anyone with a dashcam who was driving in the area from 9pm through to 11.30pm on Sunday 15th December, to review their footage and contact Detectives at Musgrave quoting reference number 2004 15/12/19.
“Any information which may seem irrelevant could potentially be of great significance as part of our overall investigation,” he added.
Alternatively, information can also be provided to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 which is 100% anonymous and gives people the power to speak up and stop crime.