The 46-year-old was arrested earlier this week as part of a wider investigation into a bomb alert in March. Irvine was arrested on Shankill Street in Belfast on Wednesday morning. Two suspicious firearms were found. His arrest is thought to be linked to a March 25 bomb hoax that prompted Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney to flee a peace-building event. During the incident, gunmen snatched a truck from a worker on Sydney Street in Shankill and told him he would be shot or that his family would be injured if he did not follow instructions. An object, which was later found to be a prank bomb, was then placed in the man’s truck and the victim was ordered to drive it to the Houben Center on Crumlin Street. Mr Coveney attended the peace event, which was organized by the John and Pat Hume Foundation. A PSNI spokesman said: “Detectives from the Terrorism Investigation Unit have charged a 46-year-old man with a number of offenses. “He has been charged with possession of a firearm and ammunition under suspicious circumstances, possession of a prohibited weapon, possession of a weapon without a certificate and possession of ammunition without a certificate. “He is due to appear in Laganside Magistrates’ Court today, Saturday 11 June. “As usual, all charges will be reviewed by PPS.”
