A man has been arrested by detectives investigating criminality related to a major data breach at the Northern Ireland Police Service.
A 39-year-old man was detained after being arrested on suspicion of collecting information likely to be of use to terrorists.
The arrest was made by officers following a search in Lurgan, Co Armagh.
Andy Hill, Chief Superintendent of Detectives, said: “We are working tirelessly to address the risk they pose to officers and staff. Today’s search operation and subsequent arrest are only part of a large-scale operation.
“We will continue our efforts to disrupt criminal activity associated with this Freedom of Information data breach and to keep communities, and our officers and staff who serve them, safe.”
The worst security breach in the history of the region
Last week, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) revealed that a document had been mistakenly shared online in response to a freedom of information request that included the names of some 10,000 officers and staff.
The details released included each employee’s last name and first initial, their rank or grade, where they are based and the unit in which they work.
This week Simon Byrne, the PSNI’s police chief, said he believed the information was in the hands of dissident Republicans.
It followed the posting of documents from the leak on a wall near a Sinn Fein office in Belfast.
Many officers have raised concerns for their safety in Northern Ireland where police are under threat from terrorists, with the current threat level assessed as severe meaning an attack is highly likely.
Earlier this year, dissident Republicans were blamed for the assassination attempt on John Caldwell, a senior PSNI detective.
