A MAN has been arrested in Bolton in connection with the discovery of ammunition and guns in a series of houses searches in Belfast.

William Woods, thought to be a former member of the Ulster Defence Association's C Company, was arrested by detectives in Heaton.

They had earlier swooped on a house in Halliwell Road, Halliwell, at around 7am on Tuesday. The arrest followed information passed to Bolton detectives from police in Northern Ireland.

Woods, aged 35, was held under the Terrorism Act.

More than 120 houses were searched by police in Belfast investigating the gun murder of 22-year-old Johnathan Stewart in North Belfast. A man is facing murder charges.

A police spokesman in Northern Ireland said on Tuesday: "As a result of follow-up searches in the Jonathan Stewart murder investigation, a 35-year-old man has been arrested in Bolton this morning in connection with items likely to be of use to terrorists.

"The man is not being questioned in relation to the murder of Jonathan Stewart."

Woods is thought to have sought sanctuary in Bolton in February with a group of loyalists who fled Belfast to escape loyalist in-fighting.