Marathon-disrupting former priest held by Greek police

A 57-year-old former Irish priest remains in police custody in Greece today after disrupting the men’s marathon at the Olympic Games in Athens yesterday.

Fr Neil Horan, a native of Co Kerry, grabbed the leader of the race, Brazilian Vanderlei de Lima, and pushed him into a crowd of supporters.

De Lima completed the marathon, but finished in third place. Fr Horan also ran onto the track during last year’s British Formula One Grand Prix at Silverstone and was jailed for two months for endangering himself and others.

After his Athens stunt, Horan told police he staged the disruption to “prepare for the second coming”.

The Brazilian Olympic Committee put in an official complaint to the Greeks and at one point the final medal ceremony to be staged during the closing ceremony was in doubt.

Horan was arrested and taken to the General Police Division of Attica, where he stayed overnight.

This morning Greek police said Horan will be brought before an attorney to decide whether he will face charges or possibly be released and sent home to London.

Under the Greek legal system, an attorney, or lawyer, must decide whether the case will go to court.

If Horan is to face charges, he will be sent directly from the attorney’s office to a courtroom to appear the same day.

A police spokeswoman said: “He will be taken to the General District Attorney’s office. He is the same person who in the past has acted in similar ways at other athletic events. Last year, for example, he interrupted the British Grand Prix during the Formula One race.

“Religious obsession is being deemed as the cause of his actions.”

Fine Gael’s foreign affairs spokesman Gay Mitchell has reportedly called on the Government to consider suspending Horan's passport.

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Irish Olympic team set for triumphant return

Gold medal winner Cian O’Connor leads the homecoming today for a 39-strong Irish Olympic team.

Sports Minister John O’Donoghue and scores of friends and family will greet the team as they arrive back at Dublin airport this afternoon.

Triumphant show-jumper O’Connor and the group form part of a mass exodus from Athens airport today which sees some 9,000 athletes leave on 600 flights.

The Irish contingent is expected to enjoy official State receptions later this week hosted by the Government and President Mary McAleese.

But despite being buoyed by one gold medal, team officials will face tough questions today following a disappointing overall performance.

Former sports minister Jim McDaid has already called for the president of the Olympic Council of Ireland, Pat Hickey, to step down, claiming he is disruptive and confrontational.