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Four due in court over kidnap bid Five in court over kidnap attempt
(about 11 hours later)
Four men are expected to appear in court later charged over an alleged attempt to take a family hostage at their home in County Londonderry. Five men have appeared in court charged over an alleged attempt to take a family hostage at their home in County Londonderry on Friday.
The men, aged 24, 26, 32 and 58, were arrested in Newbridge near Toome on Friday. The accused men, with addresses in Belfast and counties Londonderry and Down were all remanded in custody by Londonderry Magistrates Court.
Police fired two shots during the operation, which began about 0100 BST at a house on the Aughrim Road. The court was told police foiled a tiger kidnapping of three members of the same family in Magherafelt.
The men are each charged with conspiracy to rob, consiracy to kidnap, and conspiracy to falsely imprison. A detective said he believed the men belonged to a highly organised gang.
They also face firearms charges. The three family members, two women and a man, all work in the financial sector.
No-one was injured during the operation. Five men were remanded in custody when they appeared in court on Monday charged with conspiring to kidnap, falsely imprison and rob them at their home.
Every time a PSNI officer uses a weapon it is referred to the Police Ombudsman and on Friday, Al Hutchinson's office was called in to investigate the shooting. The defendants were: Ruairi Larkin, 24, from Sandymount in Magherafelt, Colm Meli, 27, from Kilkeel Road in Annalong, Brendan Lillif, 58, from Belfast, Terence Lunney, 26, from Nansen Street, Belfast, and Richard Manson, 32, from Sherbey Crescent, Annalong.
Mr Lillif, Mr Lunney and Mr Manson were further charged with possessing an imitation firearm.
The detective said Mr Lillif had 21 previous convictions for explosives offences and 16 previous convictions for firearms offences.
He said he had been released on license for a life-sentence in 1993 and is on licence until 2051.
The officers said that Mr Larkin had been a boyfriend of one of the intended victims for two years.
He said that during the arrest operation police officers at the scene fired three shots in the air after they heard what they believed was a weapon being cocked.