Nine men due in court after hatchets and machetes recovered in Newtownabbey

Nine men have each been charged with offences including possession of an offensive weapon in a public place after police responded to reports of two suspicious transit vans in the Newtownabbey area on Saturday morning (January 28).
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Police stopped one of the vehicles in the vicinity of Swanston Road North and the other on the Antrim Road at around 10.50am, and recovered a number of weapons including hatchets and machetes.

The occupants of the vans, nine men aged between 18 and 41, were arrested and have since charged with a number of offences to appear before Belfast Magistrates Court today (Monday).

As is normal procedure, the charges will be reviewed by the Public Prosecution Service.