Man arrested over Co Down kidnapping

A man was arrested today over the kidnapping for ransom of a mother and her young son in Co Down three months ago.

A man was arrested today over the kidnapping for ransom of a mother and her young son in Co Down three months ago.

Emma Crane and her four-year-old son were kidnapped from their home in Co Down in May and taken to a vacant house in the Ravenhill area of south Belfast where they were held for 12 hours.

Her partner, who works for a financial institution, was ordered by the kidnappers to collect a sum of cash — understood to have been a £200,000 ransom - and to leave it at a specified address in Belfast to secure their freedom.

The imprisoned mother and son managed to free themselves and raise the alarm.

The man was detained during a search operation in the Dunwellan area of Newcastle, Co Down today.

Police said a second man was arrested in the same Newcastle operation and that he was being questioned about an unconnected drugs offence.

Meanwhile, two men being questioned about two other so-called "Tiger" kidnappings in Belfast have been released from custody pending reports to the Public Prosecution Service.

They were arrested yesterday following searches in the north and east of the city.

The kidnappings are understood to have taken place between May and August last year.