Former IRA man arrested at US airport

A man once jailed for his involvement with the IRA was arrested at a US airport after he denied being involved in terrorist activities, authorities said.

Joseph Black, 46, who served a three-year prison sentence in the North in the late 1970s, was detained by US immigration officials on Wednesday following his arrival on a flight at Philadelphia International Airport.

He appeared before a magistrate in the city yesterday charged with making false statements on an immigration form and ordered held until a court hearing later this month.

Prosecutors said Black’s offence was a pair of incorrect answers on a standard customs form given to short-term visitors to the US.

FBI and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were apparently alerted to Black’s arrival and detained him for questioning.

During the interview, Black said he had been arrested in Ireland in 1977 for shooting someone in the knee and for being a member of the IRA. He said he served three years and is no longer a member of the organisation, officials said.