Second man charged over Northern Bank raid

A 43-YEAR-OLD man is due to appear in court in Belfast today on charges relating to the robbery of £26 million (€39m) from the Northern Bank last year.

He will be the second man charged in connection with last December’s robbery in Belfast.

A third man, being held since last week, remains in PSNI custody.

However, Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness last night branded the PSNI operation into the robbery as “pathetic and unjustifiable.” He said it was causing widespread anger within the nationalist community.

On Friday last, building contractor Dominic McEvoy, 23, from Kilcoo in Co Down, was remanded in custody by Belfast Magistrates Court charged with robbery, falsely imprisoning a bank worker and his wife and having a gun or imitation firearm.

The man, due to be charged today, was arrested during planned raids last week that led to five people being detained

The PSNI last night would only say the man will be accused of offences relating to the probe into the biggest cash robbery in Irish history. Chief Constable Hugh Orde has blamed the IRA for clearing the vaults at the Northern Bank’s Belfast headquarters. McEvoy was the first person to be charged with the heist.

Another man, aged 30, was still being questioned last night.

Two others were released without charge.

Mr McGuinness last night claimed the charges related to the sale of a van suspected of being used by the robbers.

The Sinn Féin MP hit out at the action by the PSNI, claiming they had established only a “paper-thin case.”

“I have learned this evening that the PSNI plan to charge a constituent of mine with failing to inform them that he sold a van similar to one the PSNI believe may have been used in the robbery,” he said.

“This sort of ridiculous phoney charge will fool nobody. As in the past, I am quite sure that this and other cases will collapse but not of course in the blaze of publicity generated by the PSNI in recent days.

“The PSNI, realising the widespread anger caused within the nationalist community, appear to be trying to justify their operation with what can only be described as paper-thin cases.”