Cash seized and four arrested in Cork in NI bank probe

Gardaí arrested four people today and seized tens of thousands of notes in Co Cork in a find believed to be linked to the Northern Bank raid in Belfast.

The notes are suspected of being stolen during December’s robbery of the Belfast bank.

A member of Sinn Féin was among those arrested.

Gardaí raided a property near Cork said they found at least £60,000, including notes in the Northern Bank’s own brand.

They couldn’t immediately confirm whether the money matched records of the notes stolen from the Northern Bank in Belfast.

The raid represented an apparent breakthrough in months of police work to identify the gang responsible for stealing £26.5m (€38m) – the biggest cash theft in history.

Police chiefs in both parts of Ireland have blamed the IRA, but until now have failed to recover any of the cash or charge anyone in connection with the robbery.

Police said they arrested three men and a woman. One was a member of Sinn Féin, whom they declined to identify by name.

Sinn Féin declined immediate comment. The party previously has stressed it believes IRA denials of involvement in the robbery.

All four people were being interrogated at Cork-area police stations and could be held without charge.