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Man charged in connection with PSNI data breach

A man is due in court on Monday following investigations 'into criminality' linked to the data breach
A man is due in court on Monday following investigations 'into criminality' linked to the data breach

Police in Northern Ireland have charged a 50-year-old man with possessing documents or records likely to be useful to terrorists, and possession of articles for use in terrorism.

He is due to appear at Coleraine Magistrates Court on Monday, 21 August.

In a statement, the PSNI said that all charges will be reviewed by the Public Prosecution Service, as is normal practice.

It is understood that the charge is in relation to investigations into criminality linked to last week's freedom of information data breach.

Last week, the PSNI revealed a document had mistakenly been shared online, which included the names of about 10,000 officers and staff.

Details released included the surname and first initial of every employee, their rank or grade, where they are based and the unit they work in.

PSNI Chief Constable Simon Byrne said on Monday he believes the information is in the hands of dissident republicans, who are opposed to the peace process.