A PSNI detective has travelled to the US to question a suspect in the 1972 Claudy bombing.
It emerged in a Belfast court yesterday that the chief superintendent travelled to America last Friday to question the man, who is in the custody of the FBI.
The PSNI was seeking to obtain a High Court injunction to view a BBC documentary on the bombing before it was broadcast or, failing that, to prevent its broadcast. The application was rejected by Mr Justice Treacy and costs were awarded against the police.
It is understood the PSNI was concerned that witnesses or suspects in the investigation could be named in the BBC's Spotlight programme.
The investigation into the bombing - in which nine people died and 30 others were injured - has been transferred from the Historical Enquiries Team (HET) to the PSNI’s serious crime branch.
According to the Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman, who published his findings on the bombing last August, the RUC had colluded with the Catholic Church and the British government over the suspected involvement of a priest in the attack.
The PSNI has assembled a team of detectives which is conducting an initial assessment of evidential lines of inquiry which may still exist and it is expected that once the assessment is complete that a senior investigating officer will be appointed, if appropriate, to lead a major investigation team.
The Ombudsman's report said senior RUC officers sought the assistance of the Northern Ireland Office and then northern secretary William Whitelaw, who in turn spoke to the Catholic primate Cardinal Conway about their firm belief that Fr Chesney was one of the Claudy bombers.
Fr Chesney, who died aged 46 in 1980, was never arrested or questioned but, at the apparent behest of Cardinal Conway, was transferred to a parish in Co Donegal.
The PSNI has contacted relatives of victims and has put in place a family liaison system to keep them informed of developments.
