A 45-YEAR-OLD West Belfast man has been remanded in custody charged with arson attacks on 5G masts.
Michael Clarke of Monagh Road in the city was charged with two counts of arson when he appeared at Belfast Magistrates Court this morning.
The attacks in Owenvarragh Park in Andersonstown and at the Park Centre on the Donegall Road took place in June 2023. In court police said they could connect Mr Clarke to the attacks through DNA found on a string of a sports bag that was found at the scene of the Owenvarragh arson.
Police revealed that Mr Clarke’s brother was arrested and remanded in custody last week linked to an arson attack on a 5G mast on the Whiterock Road.
Police said that during interview Mr Clarke described himself as a “free man of the land” and went on “a rant” saying that “we will all be unalive unless we wake up”.
Twenty-six attacks on 5G masts have taken place since 2023, the vast majority in West Belfast at an estimated cost of £4m.
