Man due in court on Northern Bank raid charges

A man charged in connection with the £26.5m (€39m) Northern Bank robbery in Belfast last Christmas is due in court today.

The 30-year-old will appear before Belfast magistrates this morning on two charges, said a Police Service of Northern Ireland spokesman.

He is the third person to face charges linked to the robbery, blamed on the IRA, since last Friday.

Three other men including a 40 year old detained in the Waterside area of Derry earlier yesterday and a 39-year-old arrested in Belfast on Monday remain in custody being questioned.

The man due in Belfast Magistrates’ Court this morning has been charged with collecting and making a record of information likely to be of use to terrorists.

He is further charged with possessing documentation and records containing information likely to be of use to terrorists.

Since police started arresting suspects last week eight men have been detained two released without charge.

On Friday, a 23-year-old Co Down man was remanded in custody when he appeared in court to deny involvement in the robbery.

On Monday, a 42-year-old from Co Tyrone was granted bail when he appeared in court denying a charge of giving false police statements.

The robbery took place at the Northern Bank headquarters in Belfast’s Donegal Square West just before last Christmas.

A quantity of cash seized in Co Cork early in the year was linked to the robbery but the bulk remains missing.

The bank has, however, changed its notes. It is a move which police say rendered the bulk of the haul worthless.