Suspicious items found at accused's home, IRA trial hears
The Special Criminal Court has heard that items regularly used to make pipe-bombs were discovered at the home of a man on trial for membership of an unlawful organisation.
Criostoir Mac Carthaigh (aged 33), An Gleann, Baile Phamar (Palmerstown) has denied being a member of an unlawful organisation styling itself on the Irish Republican Army, otherwise Oglaigh na hÉireann, otherwise the IRA on March 28, 2009.
It is the state's case that Mr Mac Carthaigh was traveling with a group of alleged IRA members to a fundraiser, when they were intercepted by gardaí on the N4 at Lucan.
Opening the case for the prosecution, Mr Garnet Orange BL, told the three-judge, non-jury court that gardaí had spent the day of March 28 surveying the accused's activities.
That evening, gardaí swooped on two vehicles that had been traveling in convoy on the N4. Mr Mac Carthaigh was a passenger in one of the cars.
Gardaí discovered boiler suits, cable ties and a balaclava upon searching the vehicles and arrested Mr Mac Carthaigh for questioning.
In his evidence to the court, Detective Superintendent Diarmuid O'Sullivan said that five “end-caps” (items used on a regular basis in the construction of pipe bombs) were discovered in the accused's home following his arrest.
He said that he had authorised the surveillance operation on March 28, 2009 after receiving confidential information that led him to believe the accused could be in possession of firearms and other items beneficial to conducting IRA activity.
Under cross-examination by defence counsel, Mr Diarmaid McGuinness SC, Superintendent O'Sullivan accepted that no firearms had been found in the vehicles, but denied that the information given him had been misleading.
The trial resumes tomorrow morning.
