A man who was accused of the murders of four soldiers in the 1982 IRA Hyde Park bombings has been arrested.

John Downey has been arrested on suspicion of the murder of two other soldiers in Northern Ireland in 1972.

He was arrested by police in the Republic of Ireland using a European Arrest Warrant.

He is due to appear at Dublin High Court on Tuesday afternoon.

A spokesman for the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland said: "Following careful consideration of all available evidence, a decision has been taken to prosecute one person for the offence of murder and for aiding and abetting the causing of an explosion.

"Extradition proceedings were initiated in the High Court in Dublin on Monday November 5, to seek the extradition of one man from the Republic of Ireland for trial in Northern Ireland.

"One man was subsequently arrested in County Donegal this evening and is due to appear in court in Dublin tomorrow."

In 2013, John Downey was charged with murdering four Royal Household Cavalrymen with a bomb in London's Hyde Park.

He stood trial at the Old Bailey but the case dramatically collapsed after it was revealed he had received a written assurance from former prime minister Tony Blair's government that he was not actively wanted by the authorities.