A man has been charged with the attempted murder of PSNI officer John Caldwell at a sports complex in February 2023.
Alan Lundy, 44, from Flax Street, Belfast, was charged on Friday night with attempted murder, directing terrorism, and preparation of terrorist acts.
Lundy appeared before a special sitting of Dungannon Magistrates Court on Saturday morning charged with the offenses and refused to speak throughout the hearing.
Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell was shot several times in front of his son as he loaded footballs into his car following a training session at a sports complex in Omagh on February 22 last year.
However, a PSNI detective sergeant told the court that the attack had initially been planned for February 1 but said training was canceled and Caldwell was subsequently not at the sports complex.
A suspicious vehicle was later reported to the authorities and was found to contain petrol canisters, bleach wipes, and lighters.
The court also heard that investigators were not claiming that Lundy was in Omagh on the night of the attack but rather that he facilitated the attack by providing a number of vehicles.
Investigators additionally told the court that there were 13 potential meetings in the weeks leading up to the attack between Lundy and people who have already been charged in connection with the shooting.
A PSNI detective sergeant said it is believed that Lundy was "integral to the purchase, storage, and disposal of vehicles".
The court also heard that Lundy acted as a "conduit" between people in Belfast who sourced the vehicles and those in Omagh who carried out the shooting.
Lundy's defense solicitor told the court that there was no evidence to suggest that her client had been involved in the shooting.
The solicitor said police were relying on cell phone analysis to track Lundy's movements, adding that this could not be relied upon.
She added that no content of any conversations that occurred during meetings were put to Lundy during police interviews, describing the meetings as "catch-ups".
"I submit that police have created a narrative which is not supported by the evidence."
Lundy appeared at the hearing via video link from a police custody suite and did not respond to any questions put to him by the district judge.
He also remained silent during seven hours of police questioning, the court heard.
The judge described the case as a circumstantial one that relied on a number of strands, including phone records, evidence of vehicle movement, CCTV, and observations made by police officers.
Lundy has been remanded in custody to appear before the court again later in February.
He is the eighth person to be charged with attempted murder in connection with the shooting of John Caldwell and the 11th person to be charged in connection to the case.
Robert McLean, 29, James Ivor McLean, 72, Matthew McLean 33, Jonathan McGinty, 28. Brian Carron, 38, Gavin Coyle, 45, and Alan McFarland, 47 have all been charged with attempted murder, while Coyle and Carron are further accused of belonging to the IRA.
Meanwhile, James Gerard McSorley, 58, John Andrew Gallagher, 45, and Tony Thomas Slevin, 47, have been charged with acts of terrorism in relation to a Ford Fiesta believed to have been used to carry out the attack.
Comments