Man remanded over security alert which halted Coveney speech

Darren Service, 40, has been charged with preparation of terrorist acts, hijacking and placing a hoax bomb.

A man has been remanded in custody on charges in connection with a security alert at a venue in Belfast where Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney was speaking (Niall Carson/PA) (PA Archive)

A Belfast man has been remanded in custody over a security alert which halted a peace event addressed by Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney.

Darren Service, 40, of Ballysillan Road, has been charged with preparation of terrorist acts, hijacking and placing a hoax bomb last week.

Belfast Magistrates’ Court heard he was identified through a car he had been driving in the area at the time, although he denies transporting masked gunmen who threatened a van driver and forced him to transport what he believed was a live bomb on Friday March 25.

A detective inspector described how at around 10.50am on Friday, the driver of a van was waiting to start work on Sydney Street off the Crumlin Road when two masked gunmen got into the car on either side of him.

He said they told him something would be placed in the van and he had to drive it to the Holy Cross Church, as the two men got out of the van and something was placed in it.

He was told he would be shot or his family harmed if he did not do what they told him. They also took his wallet and phone.

“Arriving at the car park, the injured party exited the van in a distressed state, approached police officers who were at the location due to the presence of Mr Coveney … officers checked the rear of the van and discovered what they believed to be an explosive device … the area was evacuated,” he told the court.

CCTV footage showed a grey Skoda Superb in the area, driving behind the victim’s van, before passing it close to where the hoax is believed to have been placed in the van. The Skoda was traced back to a vehicle given to Service while his car was being serviced.

The detective inspector said two balaclavas, UVF lapel pins, an air rifle, class b drugs and a large amount of cash (£100,000) and high value jewellery was found in a search of Service’s home.

“We believe this incident is linked to the protest disturbances over the Northern Ireland Protocol and the attack occurred due to the presence of the Irish Foreign Minister at the Houban Centre on that date,” he said.

“The subsequent statements by loyalist paramilitaries in the press that they would carry out further attacks in relation to the protocol and Irish ministers. We believe the presence of the UVF pins in his house is also significant.”

The detective inspector said the incident has escalated tensions in north Belfast. He also raised other recent incidents, including a UVF claim to have left a bomb in a bar in Warrenpoint, and a claim a bomb was left on a train between Belfast and Dublin. Both were hoaxes.

Service attended for police interview voluntarily. While he accepts he was driving the vehicle in the area on the day, he disputes that it is the same vehicle that dropped the gunmen off.

However, Deputy District Judge McStay said he was satisfied that police have sufficient evidence to make the connection.

Objecting to an application by Service for bail, the detective inspector said this was on a number of grounds.

He described the incident as an escalation in loyalist protests to the protocol and said they believe the applicant poses a significant risk of reoffending.

“We believe this is a politically-motivated crime, aimed at the disruption of this cross-community event,” he said.

“For that purpose it succeeded, it gained significant media coverage on a national and international scale. We believe a person minded to be involved in such a pivotal role in such activity will not be deterred by any bail conditions … and would continue to reoffend.

“We believe he is actively involved in this terrorist attack, he facilitated the masked gunman by driving to the scene, hijacking the vehicle. He then led the hijacked van to the place where the suspect device was placed into the victim’s van.”

The detective inspector also said Service was present at the burning of a bus by anti-protocol protesters on April 7, 2021 on Lanark Way.

Service has said he has a gym in the area and he was there to protect his property. However, police believe he was part of the orchestration of the trouble.

The court also heard that Service’s phone has not been found and he has refused to hand over his phone out of concerns for his personal information.

Service’s defence lawyer Paul Bacon said with him being from the Shankill Road, “you don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to work out his political affiliation”.

“The defendant has well past a workable defence. I understand the police concerns but it seems to me, I respectfully submit, conjecture and joining the dots in this case. There is no direct evidence,” he told the court.

“The only connection seems to be him saying, ‘yes I did hire out a Skoda Superb with that VRN number two days prior to this offence’.

“If you were involved in this hijacking incident, why on earth would you do it in a vehicle you know you can be connected to?

“There is nothing connecting him to this offence forensically or in any other way.”

He said his client is a legitimate businessman, owning three gymnasiums with three bounce back loans to pay back, adding he has a young daughter who he lives with along with his partner.

However bail was refused, with the judge saying: “I am not satisfied that I can safely admit this man to bail at this stage.”

The next hearing of the case has been set for April 28.