Raid uncovered material for four pipe bombs, court hears

Enough explosive material to fully construct four pipe bombs was discovered during an armed raid on a Clondalkin apartment, the Special Criminal Court heard today.

Detective Garda Shane Curran, a garda ballistics expert, was giving evidence in the trial of three men in their 20’s, accused of unlawfully possessing explosive materials at an apartment in The Crescent, Park West Pointe, Clondalkin, Dublin 22 on September 9, 2008.

Gareth Byrne (aged 27) of Park Crescent, Kimmage, Dublin 12, Cormac Fitzpatrick (aged 23) of Cathedral Walk, Monaghan, Co Monaghan and Terry McConnell (aged 28) of Tullymore Gardens, Andersontown, Belfast have all pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Detective Garda Curran today told the special three-judge, non-jury court, that he was part of a twelve-strong team which carried out a raid on the apartment in the early hours of September 9, 2008.

Among the items found in the kitchen were four black pieces of steel piping, nails, bulbs, batteries, surgical gloves and hundreds of grams of propellant powder that Detective Garda Curran said he believed came from shotgun cartridges.

Seven travel alarm clocks, two of which had been dismantled, were also discovered. He said, it was his opinion, these “were being adapted” to act as “timers”.

Detective Garda Curran also told the court that it was “common” for nails to be built into pipe bombs to “act as shrapnel”.

The trial has already heard how, moments after a team of officers forced their way into the apartment, two men were observed standing in the bathroom, wearing latex gloves.

Gardaí identified the men as two of the accused, Cormac Fitzpatrick and Terry McConnell.

The third defendant, Gareth Byrne, was arrested as he sat in a car, parked adjacent to the apartment complex.

The court also heard evidence today from Garda Laurence Hoey who examined two small walkie talkies recovered during the operation, one of which had been found in Mr Byrne’s car.

Garda Hoey told the court, that in his opinion, these two walkie talkies were “set up to talk to each other”.

Under cross-examination from Jonathan Kilfeather SC, counsel for Mr Byrne, Garda Hoey accepted that the signal for these walkie talkies would be effected by “anything that gets in the way”, including “buildings, concrete and trees”.

The trial continues.