Police have arrested a man following a robbery in east Belfast on Thursday evening, 3rd October.

Detective Sergeant Kitchen said: “At approximately 7.25pm, a man who was wearing dark clothing and a mask entered commercial premises in the Holywood Road area, armed with a weapon.

“The suspect threatened staff with a knife and demanded money. He then fled the premises on foot with a sum of cash from a till.

“Thankfully, staff were unharmed but left shaken by what was obviously a terrifying experience for them and others who were in the off licence at the time.

“Officers responded and a short time later the suspect, a 19-year-old man, was detained in the Grampian Avenue area.

“He was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon with intent to commit an indictable offence, theft, possessing an article with blade or point in a public place and robbery.

“The man remains in custody this morning as enquiries continue into the investigation. Anyone who was in the area at the time and has any additional information, CCTV or mobile footage can call police on 101, quoting reference number 1470 03/10/24.”

Alternatively, you can submit a report online using the non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/   

You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org