One of the 'Hooded Men' appears in court charged with assisting IRA
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One of the 'Hooded Men' appears in court charged with assisting IRA

A BELFAST man who was one of the so-called ‘Hooded Men’ has appeared at a Dublin court charged with assisting the IRA.

Kevin Hannaway, 67, of Collin Mill in Belfast, and four co-accused appeared before the Special Criminal Court on Monday evening.

He was charged with knowingly rendering assistance to an unlawful organisation styling itself the IRA on August 7 and 8.

The five men were arrested on Saturday, August 8 as part of an operation targeting dissident republican activity in Dublin.

His co-accused Edward O'Brien, 41, of Hazelcroft Road, Finglas, Dublin, and Eva Shannon, 59, of Oakman Street, Belfast, are charged with the same offence on the same date.

David Nooney, 52, of Coultry Green, Ballymun, Dublin, and Sean Hannaway, of Linden Gardens, Belfast, were each charged with membership of the IRA on August 8.

A detective said that Mr Hannaway was arrested at Tower Road, Clondalkin, Dublin, at 2.50pm on Monday.

The judge remanded the five in custody to appear before the court again on August 17.

Mr Hannaway is one of the surviving 'hooded men' who allege that they were tortured during internment in the 1970s.

In June, the High Court in Belfast granted them permission to challenge the refusal of the British Government to hold an independent investigation into their allegations of torture.