A "SIGNIFICANT quantity" of state documents have been found in an outhouse in a remote part of rural Co Tyrone, police have said.
The sensitive papers, many of which are understood to be linked to Northern Ireland's legal system, were uncovered in four or five filing cabinets which were found as part of a search on property on Todd's Leap Road outside Ballygawley.
The search was carried out by police with the property owner's consent. There were no arrests.
The precise nature of the documents was not known last night, but it is understood that some could be related to criminal records.
Rumours that the documents were stolen or were linked to the intelligence raid on Belfast's Castlereagh police station on St Patrick's Day 2002 were discounted last night.
One theory under consideration is that the documents were somehow mislaid and had turned up in Ballygawley possibly without the property owner's knowledge.
Detectives from the PSNI's serious crime branch are investigating.