Detectives arrest three over Castlereagh break-in

Detectives have made three arrests in connection with an ongoing investigation into a security breach at Belfast's main police headquarters.

Two men were arrested in Derry and one in Belfast on Thursday April 4. It has emerged that one of the individuals arrested in Derry is prominent Republican Raymond McCartney, a former IRA leader and hunger striker in the Maze Prison. The identity of the second Derry man or of the Belfast man is not known at this stage.

According to Sinn Féin, two searches were carried out in the Greater Shantallow area and a third in the Rosemount area on Thursday morning. Mr McCartney was arrested at his home, a spokesman said, and a second man, his brother Andrew, had his home and workplace searched.

It is also understood Gardaí searched a caravan near Clonmany in County Donegal belonging to Andrew McCartney.

The arrests follow an investigation into the break-in, during which a Special Branch officer was assaulted and documents taken after three men entered an office inside the Castlereagh complex, on St Patrick's Day.

The arrests on Thursday were made under anti-terrorism legislation and the police said there may be further searches.

However, a spokesman for Sinn Fein has said the arrests form part of a Special Branch police cover-up with republicans being used as scapegoats.

They stated: "Special Branch and MI5 are cleverly manipulating this situation into making people think republicans are responsible for the Castlereagh incident. Republicans are being demonised and victimised for something they did not do.”

Sinn Féin assembly member for Foyle, Mary Nelis, added: “This is a serious and concerted effort by the police to divert media attention away from the fact that this theft of documents was an internal security operation.”

Earlier this week, detectives investigating the theft of the intelligence documents travelled to the United States to question a former employee at the station.

The man police want to question in the United States left his job in the kitchens at Castlereagh a number of weeks before the incident happened.

It is understood the inquiry is focusing on suspicions that the IRA was behind the assault and theft.

Two separate investigations into the incident are taking place – one by the police, and an inquiry by former senior civil servant Sir John Chilcot, who will report directly to Northern Ireland Secretary John Reid.

(AMcE)