Christine and Bernard Doherty, and their five children, were asleep at their Coolessan Walk home when the device was thrown into their back yard in the early hours of Thursday morning.

A gas cylinder had been pushed beside a plastic coal bunker - beside their son's pick-up truck - when the missile was thrown at around 5am.

Bernard Doherty heard the crackling of the blaze, jumped out of bed and alerted his family before rushing outside to quell the flames.

Fortunately, the tank was empty but, but had it been full, Christine dreads to think what could have happened.

The 49-year-old told the 'Journal': "They knew what they were doing. They didn't come here to burn a bit of plastic. They came here to kill."

Mrs. Doherty believes the attack was sectarian because of the couple's mixed religion marriage.

Indeed, since the attack, her husband and sons have been taking it in shifts to guard their home.

She fears the perpetrators will return. "We are scared, but this is my home. Why should I run from them? However, on the other hand, I have to think of my children. My husband is worse. He would leave now, but why should we have to move?"

The attack, described by police as a "potential bomb", is not the first on the Doherty family. Three months ago, they were awakened by their Polish neighbours.

Mrs. Doherty recalled: "They were banging on the front door, but they couldn't speak English so we thought they were fighting. When we went down, the bushes in the front garden were on fire."

Seven years ago, the family escaped injury after a pipe bomb attack on their home.

Mrs. Doherty added: "About three days ago, I had a vision that something bad was going to happen, but thank God, for some reason, it wasn't meant to be. This town has gone mad. If this doesn't stop, there will be a death."

Murder

PSNI Chief Insp. Stephen Cargin said there was no evidence to suggest the attack was sectarian but said it was of "extreme concern". He warned if the attacks didn't stop, police would end up dealing with a murder.