Overview
- Detectives charged a 45-year-old with eight counts of arson and conspiracy and a 46-year-old with arson and conspiracy after a probe into fires that hit 5G masts in west Belfast between 2023 and 2025.
- The men, who were not named by police, are due at Belfast Magistrates’ Court in May as prosecutors in Northern Ireland review the charges.
- Police declined to say whether the new case connects to an earlier prosecution, which media previously linked to two brothers charged last year over similar fires.
- A separate court hearing reported by Belfast Live said brothers Michael and Darren Clarke now face further counts, citing new evidence that includes DNA from a bag left at a scene and items seized such as petrol cans and a tool for opening mast hatches.
- Officers have estimated damage from the Belfast attacks at about £4 million, and officials warn that burning mobile masts can cut off calls for medical care and other vital services; similar anti‑5G crimes elsewhere in the UK have already led to prison terms.