A 50-year-old man has been accused this Monday of possessing material that “could be useful” for terrorists, linked to the recent leak of data of thousands of officers of the Police of Northern Ireland (PSNI, its acronym in English).
The suspect, Christopher Paul O’Kane, appeared today before a court in the town of Coleraine, in the north of the region, after being arrested last Friday at his home in Dungiven, in county Derry (west), and will remain in police custody for the next four weeks, according to judicial sources.
The PSNI has filed two charges related to “possession of two mobile phones for the purpose of preparing terrorist acts” and information (spreadsheets) that also “could be useful” to terrorists.
The BBC noted that a mobile device contains screenshots of sections of the leaked documents with the names of police officers, including an officer who was the target of an attack by a dissident group from the now dormant IRA (Irish Republican Army).
The PSNI acknowledged on August 10 that a “human error” allowed the publication of the personal data of all the agents and workers of the body (some 10,000), detailing, for example, their names and surnames, their rank or grade and the location of their departments.
The “accidental” leak, which occurred while processing a request made under the Freedom of Information Act, was posted online but was withdrawn hours later, the agency said.
IRA splinters have warned that any member of the PSNI, whether pro-British unionist or pro-Irish nationalist, is a legitimate target in the armed struggle against the UK.
Republican dissidents have also targeted the Sinn Féin party, the former political arm of the IRA. Its spokesman for Justice and the Interior, Gerry Kelly, denounced last Monday the appearance of one of the leaked documents on a wall near the headquarters of this formation in Belfast, which was also accompanied by a photo of him as a sign of threat. .
