A PSNI officer was shot in the back following loyalist violence in Northern Ireland last night.
He was taken to hospital, but his injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.
He was attacked after disturbances apparently linked to ongoing tensions within the Ulster Defence Association in southeast Antrim.
The North's Security Minister Paul Goggins has condemned last night's attack.
He said: 'Those within Loyalism who refuse to move away from criminality have absolutely nothing to offer their own community of anyone else. I would urge anyone with information on this deplorable incident to contact police.'
A second man, a civilian, was brought to hospital after a serious assault. The PSNI later arrested three men after stopping a car in the town.
They had been called after reports that a large crowd had gathered at Castlemara Drive in Carrickfergus at around 10.30pm.
The PSNI maintained a presence in the area for several hours afterwards.
On Friday, the Ulster Political Research Group told reporters that the UDA was ending criminality in southeast Antrim and was cracking down on drug peddlers.
A new so-called brigadier has been appointed and a representative nominated for the UPRG, which provides political analysis to the UDA.
UPRG spokesman Frankie Gallagher linked last night's trouble to a renegade faction of the UDA and said there should be no knee-jerk reaction.
He said: 'The UPRG would, on behalf of all people in our community, totally condemn the criminal acts last night by a minority of people who carried out intimidation against people in the Larne and Carrickfergus areas and shot a policeman in the back.
'The UPRG is calling on all its people to support the police and is appealing for calm amongst its people across Northern Ireland.'
The Northern Ireland Security Minister, Paul Goggins, condemned the attack.
He said: 'Those within Loyalism who refuse to move away from criminality have absolutely nothing to offer their own community of anyone else.
'I would urge anyone with information on this deplorable incident to contact police.'
