Six arrests have been made by detectives probing the night of bloodshed that saw teenager Jason Lightbourne murdered on Ord Road.

It emerged yesterday that three of those suspects were held in connection with a machete attack on a 19-year-old Devonshire man that took place hours before Mr. Lightbourne was brutally gunned down at the wheel of a car. Detectives confirmed publicly for the first time that this knife attack on Frog Lane was being treated as attempted murder.

And yesterday they said that any link between the two cases had still not been ruled out.

After announcing there had been three arrests in the Lightbourne case ? only two had been reported before yesterday's press conference ? senior officers stressed the high-profile murder probe was being "significantly hindered" by lack of co-operation from key witnesses.

Officers later refused to rule out the possibility of a substantial reward being offered at some stage in the investigation in an attempt to loosen tongues.

But they stayed tight-lipped on whether the Paget murder was retaliation for the earlier Frog Lane attack. And they would not comment on reports that Mr. Lightbourne, 18, was not the intended victim, or on possible links with an earlier shooting near the Swizzle South Shore in June.

Officers said both shooting probes were active and that forensic comparisons would be made.

However, they said they could not rule out a potential link at this time.

Chief Inspector Tracy Adams, head of the Serious Crime Unit, said that Police were aware of "rumours and allegations" relating to the claims of retaliation.

"We are looking to prove or disprove these allegations," he commented.

"We are still looking at significant lines of inquiry that will bring us closer to that answer."

It also emerged that Bermuda Police Service has made contact with the Barbados Police forensic science centre regarding items collected during the murder probe.

No further details were given about this yesterday.

And Police declined to comment on whether this line of inquiry related to reports of bullet traces found at the Ord Road scene. Re-appealing for witnesses, Sgt. Robert Cardwell said officers were particularly eager to get in touch with two people understood to have been in the car with the murder victim when he was shot.

"Those people are the people that we are appealing to directly," added Sgt. Cardwell.

Police want to speak to anyone who saw ? or who was in ? a white Daihatsu Charade sedan car, registration 37814, in Hamilton city or the central parishes in the early hours of July 23. That was the vehicle Mr. Lightbourne was driving when he was murdered.

In the immediate aftermath of the July 23 violence, Police reassured the public that about 30 officers were working on the Ord Road and Frog Lane investigations.

Asked how many officers were working on them now, Chief Insp.Adams said that at least ten officers had been taken off the cases ? leaving a total of about twenty in the investigative team.

Despite the dip in numbers, Police stressed that available resources ? both inside and outside the force ? were being used in a bid to crack the case. "The priority has not changed despite the drop in numbers," a spokesman said later, adding that the figure of 20 could rise depending on developments. "The team has been promised any resources they need to bring this to a conclusion."

Meanwhile, Chief Insp. Adams explained the problems both inquiries were facing over reluctant witnesses.

"In the murder of Jason Lightbourne we are satisfied ... we are significantly hindered from progressing as a result of information that is being withheld, despite our persistence to seek the truth."

He added: "Both investigations have been met with significant challenges.

"The officers are of the firm belief that these challenges can be overcome with the assistance of those who are directly witnesses involved or witnesses that have certain information."

Sgt. Cardwell later pleaded with people who have a "positive influence" over any of the young men in the Ord Road and Sylvan Dell Road area of Paget at the time of Mr. Lightbourne's death to encourage them to step forward.

Police said that they had received some help from the public which had led to progress ? but they now want crucial witnesses to come forward to help move both cases forward.

Sgt. Cardwell later confirmed that three arrests had been made in the Frog Lane attempted murder case, which left the victim fighting for his life with serious cuts to his head and body. His condition later improved and he was moved to a general ward.

A total of three people have been quizzed over the Ord Road shooting, which happened less than two hours after the knife incident, just after 4 a.m. on the Sunday morning.

All six suspects have all been released on bail. Police added: "Inquiries around all of those men arrested are continuing."

Attempts to find out what offences the six suspects had been arrested on suspicion of were unsuccessful yesterday. Names, addresses and ages were not released.

The first two arrests in the Lightbourne case were confirmed by Police at the end of Julyunderstands that the third arrest in that investigation, and the three arrests in the attempted murder probe, were only made recently.

Police also said a specific reward from the force might be considered at a later date. A general reward from CrimeStoppers for information leading to arrest is still available, a spokesman added. "It (a Police reward) has been considered," said Sgt. Cardwell. "But we are appealing for members of the public to come forward. Rewards and putting them together take time."

Commenting on an apparent lull in violence in recent weeks, compared to a spate of incidents since April, Chief Insp. Adams said an increased Police presence seemed to have worked.

Mr. Lightbourne was the Island's fifth shooting victim in 90 days. Witnesses or anyone with information for Police should call the Serious Crime Unit on 299-4239, or the confidential CrimeStoppers line on 1 800 623 8477.