Further arrests made by NCA in Bank of Valletta cyber-heist money laundering probe

A 33-year-old man was detained on suspicion of money laundering offences, fraud and theft at Heathrow Airport last night as he returned to the UK from China. He was questioned by the NCA and bailed pending further enquiries.

This morning (31 January) two men aged 23 and 24 were arrested, also on suspicion of money laundering offences, fraud and theft, after handing themselves in to a police station in Belfast. They remain in custody.

The arrests follow the execution of warrants in west and north Belfast yesterday, as part of an investigation into the laundering of money stolen after a malware attack on a bank in February last year.

Around £800,000 was illegally transferred into an account in Belfast, which then saw payments of more than £340,000 go out before the account could be blocked.

The money was spent at high end stores such as Harrods and Selfridges, to buy Rolex watches at a store in London, and on payments for a Jaguar and Audi A5 from a car dealership.

Two men were arrested in London on 22 January, with a further arrest in Belfast yesterday. The man arrested yesterday has now been bailed pending further enquiries.

NCA Belfast branch commander David Cunningham said:

“The focus of our investigation is those suspected of having helped launder the proceeds of this cyber-attack, a large amount of which were funnelled through a bank account here in Belfast.

“It demonstrates how this type of criminality is often international in nature, and how tackling it is a priority for the National Crime Agency and partners, both within the UK and around the world.

“We will continue to work with the Maltese police as our investigation goes forward.”