Third man charged over Northern Bank raid

A third man was tonight charged in connection with the £26.5 million Northern Bank robbery in Belfast last December.

A third man was tonight charged in connection with the £26.5 million Northern Bank robbery in Belfast last December.

The 30-year-old will appear Belfast magistrates tomorrow morning on two charges, said a PSNI spokesman.

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

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

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The man due in Belfast Magistrates' Court in the 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.

Yesterday 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 Donegall 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.