Gardaí found men making explosives, court hears

Four men were arrested after a major garda operation led to the discovery of a large quantity of home made explosives near the border last year, the Special Criminal Court heard today.

Gardaí caught two of the men in the act of manufacturing the explosives using a cement mixer when they entered a farmyard in Co Louth, the court was told.

Prosecuting counsel, Mr George Birmingham SC, told the court that gardaí found a large canvas bag containing 1100 lbs of the home made explosives, a mixture of ammonium nitrate and sugar, in a stolen van beside the cement mixer.

It was the opening day of the trial of four men who have denied the unlawful possession of an explosive substance, ammonium nitrate and sugar (ANS), at Thornfield, Iniskeen, Co Louth on June 13, 2003 and having the explosive with intent to endanger life on the same date.

They are Joseph Fee (aged 40),of Blackstaff, Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan, Seamus Mc Kenna (aged 49), of Marian Park, Dundalk, Co Louth, Gregory Trainor (aged 38), Culdee Road, Armagh and Eamonn Matthews (aged 25), Dublin Road, Killeen, Newry, Co Down.

Mr Birmingham said that in June last year a major garda operation took place in north Co Louth involving the Emergency Response Unit, the Special Detective Unit, the Crime and Intelligence section and local gardaí, under the command of Assistant Commissioner Rice assisted by other senior officers.

The operation culminated on June 13 when gardaí entered a farmyard and shed and found two men, the accused Mc Kenna and Trainor, in the course of manufacturing a bomb.

Counsel said that a number of gardaí led by Detective Inspector John Gantley of the ERU entered the yard at 1.35 pm and found Mc Kenna and Trainor engaged in making explosives. There was an electrically powered cement mixer and buckets and a shovel in the yard.

Mr Birmingham said the court would hear evidence of sightings by the gardaí who observed a black jeep which had been stolen in Northern Ireland being driven by the accused Matthews to a hire firm in Dundalk where Matthews and Mc Kenna hired a cement mixer on June 12.

The jeep and trailer with the mixer was seen going to Fee's home. Fee was also observed going to a cash and carry with a friend where he purchased six 3kg bags of icing sugar.

The jeep was later seen going to a farmyard at Tallanstown, Co Louth which was later examined by gardaí who found traces of ground fertiliser and sugar.

Mr Birmingham said that the court would hear that a garda with binoculars saw Fee going to the farmyard at Thornfield where he met Mc Kenna and Trainor.

When gardaí moved in to enter the yard they met Fee in his own van coming towards them. Fee's van tried to get around a garda car and the two vehicles collided. Fee was arrested, counsel added.

Mr Birmingham said that just as the gardaí moved in to the shed McKenna was in the act of leaning down to pick up something and Trainor was resting on a shovel. He said they were arrested at the scene and Matthews was arrested half an hour later near Dundalk.

The trial is continuing.