A police Armed Response Unit (ARU) was tasked in the early hours of Saturday morning, 26 February, to support local officers at an incident in Ballymena.
Police confirmed that they received a report of suspicious activity outside a house in the Carndale Meadows area of the town.
Local eyewitness reports state that the incident involved a number of men in the area with knives. Several police cars attended the scene, while members of the ARU were seen taking positions around a property in the estate.
A spokesperson for the Police Service of Northern Ireland said:
“Officers attended and arrested three men aged 20, 22 and 24 at a nearby property on suspicion of a number of offences including possession of an offensive weapon in a public place, criminal damage and assault on police.
“The 22 year old man has since been released pending a report to the Public Prosecution Service and the other two men remain in custody assisting officers with their enquiries.”