Northern Ireland police say a haul of 17 improvised explosive devices found in Belfast is linked to 'extreme right-wing terrorism'

Wesley Thomas Fletcher, 35, of Leopold Street, Belfast, was remanded in custody on Monday after appearing at Belfast Magistrates' Court charged with storing explosives and possessing a prohibited weapon. The PSNI's Terrorism Investigation Unit confirmed Wednesday the cache — the largest haul linked to the far right ever seized in Northern Ireland — is connected to 'extreme right-wing terrorism'.

The devices, found during searches on the Shankill Road and Edwina Street on 30 and 31 October, included two detonators and five Taser stun guns.

Fletcher faces two counts of possessing explosives in suspicious circumstances and one charge of possessing a prohibited weapon; his next court hearing is scheduled for 30 November.

The seizure comes amid growing alarm over race hate incidents in Northern Ireland, including loyalist bonfires using effigies of mosques and migrant 'vigilante patrols'.