A man was charged in Belfast Magistrates Court this afternoon following a loyalist weapons seizure in the Rathcoole estate outside Belfast earlier this week.
The haul included five sub-machineguns, four pistols, a sawn-off shotgun and hundreds of rounds of ammunition along with four pipe bombs and a booby-trap device.
Mr Phillip George Shaw (39), of Carlan Close, Rathcoole, was charged with possessing the firearms and explosives with intent to endanger life. A detective told Belfast Magistrates Court that when Shaw was charged he made no reply.
The officer confirmed to defence solicitor Mr Brendan McCann that when police arrived at Mr Shaw's door on Tuesday he co-operated fully, indicated there was "stuff" in the house and took them to the attic.
Mr McCann asked: "Did he provide a statement that he had been approached by others and asked to hide and store the stuff in his house and he did so in fear and under duress?"
"That would be correct," the detective replied. Shaw has been remanded in custody until November 21st and Mr McCann said an application for bail would be made in the High Court tomorrow.