A Strabane man was refused bail on Wednesday after a court heard his DNA is alleged to have been found an explosive device which was used in an attempt to kill two police officers.
Charlie Love, 28, from Strabane appeared in Dungannon Magistrates Court charged with the attempted murder of two police officers following his arrest on Tuesday.
He is also charged with possessing explosives and causing an explosion to endanger life or to cause serious injury.
A Detective Inspector from the PSNI said two officers had been on patrol in the Mount Carmel Heights area of the Co Tyrone town on 17 November, when they heard a loud flash and bang close to their vehicle shortly before 11pm.
Following PSNI and ATO officers’ attendance at the scene, the DI said an explosion site was found nearby which left a large crater near an iron fence on the road the officers had been driving on.
A command wire was then found on a building site of a disused school, with the DI saying further tests showing a ‘military grade explosive’ was used in the attack.
The accused was first arrested the day after the incident and his mobile phone was seized during a search of his property.
Following two days of interviews, the DI said Love provided no comment to questions about his attendance at the location at the time.
The DI said police had observed CCTV footage of a man in dark clothing running away from a gated area with a path towards the public footpath around the time of the incident. He added a drill was located in the building site with wires protruding from it
According to the DI, forensic testing showed the trigger of the explosive device, the drill, the command wire, and a metal post within the site of the explosion all returned a matching profile to that of the defendant.
Phone records of the accused were then cited in which the DI says there was a clear pattern of sending and receiving messages on the day of the incident, which then stopped between 9:11pm and 11:49pm.
An incoming call to the accused’s phone was answered around the time of the explosion, but police say they have been unable to determine who answered the call.
Questioning the connection of Love to the charges, a defence solicitor made the case there was no fingerprint evidence provided to date and that DNA was a ‘very transmissible product’ which could be planted from one place to another.
The defence went on to say that Love was a vulnerable adult and was required to have another adult with him during police questioning.
The court heard how Love currently has two matters pending before the court, one for an alleged breach of coronavirus regulations and another for attendance at an illegal parade in Newry, and also has a number of criminal convictions, including for assault on police.
District Judge Alana McSorley said she was satisfied the accused could be connected to the charges.
Police objected to a bail application, with the DI saying that Love was an ‘extremely dangerous individual’ who had a ‘hatred’ for the PSNI and ‘no regard for human life’. It was alleged that he is a member of Saoradh, the political wing of the New IRA.
The DI said the attack had been claimed by the New IRA, and that there was a fear for the lives of civilians if the accused was granted bail
The DI added that the PSNI investigation into the attack has been met with fear and an unwillingness to engage, saying that terrorist organisations continue to exert an influence over the communities they operate in.
The defence solicitor argued that the accused had not been the subject of any further police investigations during the period between his two arrests in relation to the incident.
He added that it was his belief the risk of reoffending was minimal and could be managed with strict bail conditions.
However, District Judge McSorley denied bail on the grounds of risk of further offending and a risk to the public in general.
Love was remanded into custody and will appear before court again on 5 January.
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