Man due in court today in connection with the hijacking of a newspaper delivery van in Derry at the weekend

A 20-year-old man is due in court today in connection with the hijacking of a newspaper delivery van in Derry at the weekend.

The driver was making a delivery to a shop at Bracken Park in the Galliagh area of the city around 6.10 am on Saturday when the attack happened.

Police said the driver of the white Mercedes Sprinter van was approached by two males.

They were armed with a knife with a six to eight inch blade.

The van was hijacked and crashed into nearby premises where it was set alight a short time later.

All the newspapers in the van were destroyed.

The PSNI said this morning that detectives investigating the attack have charged a 20-year-old man with a number of offences including hijacking, aggravated vehicle taking and dangerous driving.

The second male involved in the attack is believed to have been wearing a black coat and had his hood up at the time.

A police spokesperson said: "We would appeal for anyone who was in the area at the time or who may have any information to contact us on 101 quoting reference 292 of 13/2/21.

"A report can also be made online using our non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/."

Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/