Gun and grenade attacks 'linked to Salford gang feud'
Police are linking a grenade attack and a shooting in Greater Manchester to a feud between rival gangs in Salford.
On Monday, a hand grenade caused an explosion which damaged the front of a house on Formby Road, Salford.
Hours later a man was seriously injured when he was shot while at a car wash in Ashton-in-Makerfield in direct retaliation to the blast, said police.
Police said a 50-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder over the shooting.
No-one was injured in the grenade explosion, said Greater Manchester Police (GMP).
They added a BMW X5, believed to have been linked to the attack, was found burnt out on Quarry Road, Salford, a short time later.
Police believe a machete attack in Salford and a shooting in Irlams o' th' Height are also connected to the two gangs.
A man suffered injuries to his neck, torso and back on Agecroft Road on 21 March.
The victim has since been discharged from hospital and is recovering from his injuries.
Police said a 25-year-old man arrested on suspicion of attempted murder had been bailed until May.
A 23-year-old man suffered a minor injury to his waist caused by a shotgun pellet in Fairfield Road, Irlams o' th' Height, on 17 February.
Two men arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder have been bailed until April.
'Rush hour' shooting
Ch Supt Mary Doyle said the "reckless attacks" by two rival fractions of criminals in Salford were putting lives at risk.
"The shooting yesterday happened during rush hour traffic, in which shots were fired across a busy road, meaning innocent bystanders could easily have been killed and it is extremely lucky no one was injured at all when a grenade was thrown at the front of a house in Salford."
She said the force was providing extra patrols, including armed officers, in the area and a large operation was in place to tackle this "evident escalation of violence".
Ms Doyle said the hand grenade used was American and not linked to the grenades used by police killer Dale Cregan which originated from the former Yugoslavia.
Cregan killed PCs Fiona Bone and Nicola Hughes in a gun and grenade attack in 2012 after luring them to a house in Mottram, Greater Manchester.
He was given a whole life sentence for murdering the two PCs and father and son David and Mark Short.