Police had to close a major road in south Antrim twice on Saturday night as a large group of friends and family of missing Belfast man John George gathered outside a business in the area.
Officers also had to intervene as an attempt was made to cut a lock on the front door of the property on the Shore Road in Newtownabbey.
It was the second night in a row a group, many from Mr George’s home areas of Twinbrook, had gathered outside the gym owned by an individual they believe has information on is disappearance in Spain just before Christmas.
Separately, the brother of Mr George has denied a report members of his family have received death threats from associates of loyalist paramilitaries in the south Antrim area.
The PSNI said officers were deployed to the Shore Road following a report of a protest, which happened shortly after 7pm. It was organised by family and friends demanding to know what happened to Mr George after he flew out to Spain.
Also known as John Hardy, the 37-year-old father-of-two was holidaying in Alicante and was last in touch with his family on December 14. The Twinbrook man failed to board a planned flight back to the north four days later and was reported missing.
In a statement, the PSNI said officers arrived at the Shore Road and saw “a large number of people outside a business premises in the area”.
“An unknown male was attempting to cut a lock at the front of the property with an angle grinder. He made off upon arrival of police,” a spokesperson said.
“The Shore Road was closed on two occasions on Saturday evening in order to ensure the safety of everyone who was in the area at the time.”
Family members, including Darren George, parents Billy and Sharon, and sisters, Courtney and Caitlin, are in Alicante along with approximately 50 others are in Alicante as the search continues for the missing man.
A fundraising drive has been launched to cover travel costs, food, solicitors, drones and other equipment, a family member wrote on social media.
Family members of Mr George have said they believe he is dead and they are now looking to recover his body
In an interview, Mr George said the support the family is receiving both in Spain and back home is fantastic “and that’s what’s giving us the energy and the strength”.
“But the searches can be very frustrating as we’re getting no answers at the end of them. It’s very frustrating and we are being left very angry,” Mr George said in the interview with PA.
“Someone knows where John is. They need to give it up, and they need to give the location, whether it’s done anonymously.
“This isn’t going to stop and certainly we’re not going to go away until we get John’s body. We get John’s body, we’re on the next flight out of here.
“Somebody has answers and we will not leave Spain without John’s body.”
He described his brother as a very good boxer in his younger days but admitted later on he had his troubles:
“John was a drug addict, it took over John’s life,” Mr George told the news agency, adding his brother was a loving father who would never have missed Christmas with his two children.
Last week, a young woman, 19-year-old Madison Allen, publicly denied any involvement in the disappearance. She reportedly was one of the last to see him alive, along with Jonny Smyth (26).
Speaking in a TikTok video last week, Ms Allen said she was “sick and tired” of all the rumours about John George’s disappearance and said that she had nothing to hide. She claimed to have received “30 death threats.
