A woman whose partner was arrested following last week's rioting in Ardoyne has been sent a death threat by loyalists.

A sympathy card was posted to Arlene Shannon's Ardoyne home. It warned that she and her partner, Aidan Ferguson, would be killed by the loyalist paramilitary group, the Red Hand Defenders.

Shannon (28) said: "I am absolutely terrifed. I am still shaking with nerves. I have three kids and they've all been sent to stay with relatives, including my five-week-old daughter. It's not safe for them to stay here."

Shannon received the card, which is now with her solicitor, on Friday.

"On the front, the card said 'With Deepest Sympathy on Your Sad Loss.'

"Inside 'Kill All Taigs' was hand-written about 30 times," she said.

"There was a newspaper photograph of Aidan and myself and 'Fenian slut' was written down the side of it. 'Kill All Taigs' was also written above the photo with arrows pointing down at us."

Shannon said the card was signed 'Red Hand Defenders', which has previously been used as a UDA cover-name.

"They wrote, 'We aren't very happy. We'll be seeing you soon, very soon.'" Shannon said her solicitor would be forwarding the card to the PSNI.

Aidan Ferguson was arrested at Shannon's home on Wednesday and questioned about a shot which was fired at police during rioting two days earlier. He was then released without charge on Thursday.

His arrest was broadcast on TV by a camera crew who were outside the house as police removed him. The house number was shown on television. Ferguson questiond how the media apparently knew he would be arrested.

He claimed he had been assaulted by police inside the house and that his sister Lauren was later strip-searched when she entered the house.

Ferguson alleged that Sinn Féin had "collaborated" in his arrest. It took a dozen officers to carry him from the house.

"I was shouting at the police, 'Is Bobby Storey (senior Provisional) too yellow to be here now?' and 'Why don't they come down from the Sinn Féin centre and arrest me instead of sending you monkeys?" Ferguson said.

Police searched the house for three hours and took away clothes belonging to Ferguson.