A court has ruled against surveillance gardaí who claimed that revealing the number of officers who observe suspects from cars would allow other suspects to know which cars “to look for”.

Members of the public were excluded from the Special Criminal Court today during evidence by members of the Garda National Surveillance Unit in the trial of eight Dublin men accused of IRA men membership in 2013.

The Special Criminal Court has ruled that members of the public should be excluded from the court when six members of the Garda National Surveillance Unit give evidence in the trial of eight Dublin men accused of IRA membership.

Eight Dublin men charged with membership of the IRA have been served with a book of evidence at the Special Criminal Court.

Eight men accused of membership of the IRA have been granted legal aid at the Special Criminal Court.

Eight Dublin men have appeared before an Easter Sunday sitting of the Special Criminal Court charged with membership of the IRA.