A man is due before a special sitting of Monaghan District Court this afternoon charged in connection with the robbery of an ATM yesterday morning.

The ATM was stolen from a supermarket near Newry, Co Down and later recovered in a van in Monaghan.

A man in his 20s was arrested and is due before the court this afternoon, while two others escaped on foot.

The search is continuing on both sides of the border this morning for the two men believed to be involved in the robbery.

The machine was ripped from a filling station wall early yesterday morning, and found later by gardaí in a van in the Carrickmacross area of County Monaghan.

Simon Gregory, who owns the filling station near Newry where the ATM was stolen, says there was a lot of damage done, and the whole station canopy will have to be taken down:

Meanwhile, a PSNI officer investigating the ATM theft is being treated for in hospital after he was targeted in a hit-and-run attack.

A low-loader truck drove at the officer at speed near the village of Cullyhanna in County Armagh, pinning him between the truck and his patrol car.

The incident is being treated as attempted murder. However the constable's injuries are believed to be non life threatening.

Superintendent Simon Walls said, “the officer remains in hospital receiving treatment for his injuries. His condition is described as stable and he had a comfortable night in hospital. He is receiving treatment for a fractured ankle, injuries to his back and a wound to his head". 

Officers are appealing for anyone with information about the incident to contact them.

A low loader matching the description of the lorry involved has been found burnt out in the Mullyash Mountain area in County Monaghan.

Anne Connolly - who is the chair of the Northern Ireland Policing Board - says it was a brutal murder bid and those who have information need to come forward: