Man charged with attempted murder linked to bomb attack

A 66-year-old has appeared in court charged with attempted murder linked to a bomb attack on a Belfast police station.

Kieran Smyth from Beechmount Avenue in Belfast is also accused of causing an explosion, hijacking, and possession of a mobile phone SIM card for terrorist purposes.

Lisburn Magistrates Court heard that on the night of the explosion a Chinese takeaway meal had been ordered to Summerhill Park in Twinbrook just after 10pm.

When the driver arrived three quarters of an hour later, he was hijacked at gunpoint by two men, one of whom placed a gas cylinder device into his car.

He was ordered to drive it to Dunmurry PSNI station and told he had 30 minutes before the bomb went off.

A PSNI detective inspector from the Serious Crime Branch gave evidence of connection.

He said immediately afterwards the top up machine was used to make a transaction on a Monzo bank account linked to the accused.

The officer said there was CCTV evidence linking the defendant to the transactions and he had been positively identified by two police officers.

The officer told the court that the phone SIM had been the same one used later to order the Chinese meal to Twinbrook.

When he returned an hour and a half later, he no longer had the bag.

Around this time his personal phone, which had been switched off, was turned back on and Mr Smyth had carried out internet searches about the explosion which had happened at 11.15pm.

Further internet searches were carried out at around 7am.

A defence solicitor contended when it came to the counts of attempted murder and causing an explosion levelled against his client it was a "case of overcharging".

He submitted to the judge that without greater evidence of connection, the most serious charges against his client should be thrown out.

But the district judge said as it was an ongoing investigation with the potential for other information to come to light, that she would remand the accused into custody on all charges.

He will appear again via video link on 18 May.