Two arrests over suspected theft from PONI office
Two men have been arrested over the suspected theft of classified documents relating to the Loughinisland massacre.
Officers from Durham Constabulary executed search warrants at three properties in Belfast on Friday (August 31) as part of an investigation into how confidential documents went missing from the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland’s (PONI) office.
Two men, aged 51 and 48, were arrested on suspicion of theft and were taken for questioning at Musgrave Police Station.
Documents and computer equipment seized during the raids are now being examined.
The documents taken from the PONI relate to the police investigation into the 1994 Loughinisland massacre.
The sensitive material was used in a documentary re-examining the murders that named one of the suspected gunmen.
A Durham Constabulary spokesperson said: “This morning’s arrests are a significant development in what has been a complex investigation.
“The terms of reference given to our inquiry were clear in that the investigation is solely into the alleged theft of material from PONI.
“The theft of these documents potentially puts lives at risk and we will follow the evidence wherever it leads us.”
Six people were killed when loyalist gunmen opened fire in a bar in Loughinisland in June 1994.
A PONI investigation completed in 2011 identified failings in the police inquiry into the murders, but found no evidence of collusion with the Ulster Volunteer Force paramilitary.
A second report published five years later contradicted these findings and claimed officers had colluded with the gang.
It also found evidence that the investigation had been undermined by a desire to protect informers.
Following this discovery, PONI officers reported it to the Police Service of Northern Ireland which asked Durham Constabulary to conduct an independent investigation.
Alex Gibney, who directed the documentary in question, claimed the people arrested are Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey, a producer and journalist who worked on the film.
A spokesperson for the PONI said: “This is a matter for Durham Constabulary and it would be inappropriate to comment while their investigation is ongoing.”