POLISH MEN REMANDED IN CUSTODY OVER HOUSE ARSON ATTACK

Eleven men remanded in custody at Omagh Magistrates' Court charged with arson with intent and aggravated burglary

Eleven men remanded in custody at Omagh Magistrates’ Court charged with arson with intent and aggravated burglary

A COURT has refused bail to 11 Polish nationals over an arson attack on house linked to a bitter feud between two groups.

The men faced Omagh Magistratess Court charged with arson with intent to endanger life in Dungannon, Co Tyrone on Friday night, September 27.

It followed a fire at a house in the Springdale area of the town.

The men were further accused of two counts of aggravated burglary.

The suspects are accused of going into the house armed with baseball bats, setting fire to it and endangering five men who were inside at the time.

During a bail application for two of the accused, a detective revealed that the Polish men had traveled more than 100 miles to Dungannon to carry out the alleged attack.

He said there appeared to be an ongoing dispute between two groups in the Polish community following an earlier incident on Sunday, September 22.

The incident last Friday was being treated as a reprisal attack, he told the court.

During following up inquiries, police response teams arrested a total of 12 in Portadown, Newry and Lisburn in a number of cars after they were given descriptions of the suspects by the occupants of the house in Springdale.

A district judge refused bail on the grounds of the high risk of the men leaving Northern Ireland, committing further offences or intimidating witnesses.

All 11 were remanded in custody and will appear at Dungannon Magistrates’ Court via video link on Wednesday, October 23.

A 12th man was released on Monday pending a report to the Public Prosecution Service.

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