Man remanded over terror spy charges

A MAN suspected of spying on security force members has faced a court on Saturday.

Anthony McDonnell, from Upper Springfield Road, west Belfast, is accused of collecting five vehicle registrations, between October 1 and December 12 last year.

The 43-year-old was also charged with having addresses and vehicle registration details of security force members on 14 December 2012.

He was remanded in custody.

The defendant was arrested on Thursday as part of a PSNI investigation into dissident republican terrorism.

Appearing in Belfast Magistrates Court on Saturday, McDonnell spoke only to confirm that he understood the two charges against him.

A detective constable from the PSNI’s Serious Crime Branch told the court he believed he could connect him to the charges.

Under cross examination, the detective confirmed that since the searches before Christmas, numerous items including computer storage media were being examined as part of a “forensic strategy” in the “live” investigation.

The officer told the court and Mr Breen that by the time the case is next before the court on 31 January, the PSNI would try to have a timetable for the results of the examinations.