'Real IRA' man could face 20-year sentence

Lithuania’s prosecutors are seeking a 20-year jail term for an Irish man suspected of trying to buy arms and explosives for an Irish dissident republican group.

Michael Campbell was arrested three years ago in the Baltic state in an international sting operation with Gardaí.

Campbell, 36, from Dundalk, county Louth, allegedly handed €10,000 to an undercover Lithuanian agent posing as a weapons supplier.

Lithuanian prosecutor Gedgaudas Norkunas said in the capital Vilnius today that prosecution witnesses had testified and the trial was nearing its conclusion.

The next session is scheduled in mid-February.

Campbell’s brother, Liam, is believed to be a senior Real IRA member.