Man accused of assisting family from Afghanistan to enter UK illegally
Ibadullah Alimi, 25, appeared before Belfast Magistrates' Court in connection with an alleged breach of immigration law
- Published
A man has appeared in court accused of assisting a family from Afghanistan to enter Northern Ireland illegally.
Ibadullah Alimi, 25, with an address at Allum Rock Road in Birmingham, England, appeared before Belfast Magistrates' Court in connection with an alleged breach of immigration law.
The offence is alleged to have taken place at Grand Central Station in Belfast on Wednesday.
Mr Alimi is accused of assisting a family from Afghanistan to travel to Northern Ireland from the Republic of Ireland to facilitate the commission of a breach of immigration law by a person who was not a national of the United Kingdom.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) said the couple and their two children travelled from France to the Republic of Ireland before boarding a train from Dublin to Belfast.
An interpreter explained the charge to the defendant and an officer from the NCA told the brief hearing that she could connect him to the charge.
Defence solicitor Shane O'Neill confirmed his client understood the charge.
The court was told Mr Alimi will require a Pashto interpreter when he appears before the court again, via video link on 19 December.
There was no application for bail and the defendant was remanded into custody.