A 61-year-old man wanted by the Northern Irish authorities in connection with the killing of three police officers by an IRA bomb during the Troubles has appeared before the High Court.
Martin John McCauley is accused of murdering RUC officers Sergeant Sean Quinn, and constables Paul Hamilton, and Allan McCloy, in a bomb attack at the Kinnego Embankment, near Lurgan in Co Armagh on October 27 1982.
At the time of the attack the officers were travelling on the embankment in a car.
The explosion left a large crater, 12 meters wide, and 3.5m deep, in the road.
The 200lb bomb, which had been placed in a drain underneath the road, was detonated remotely by way of a command wire to a vantage point overlooking the road.
The Irish Republican Army later claimed responsibility for the attack.
It is alleged that two IRA members, Eugene Toman and John Burns, detonated the bomb.
Both of those men were shot dead by the RUC in November 1982.
In the warrant seeking Lurgan born Martin McCauley’s surrender the Northern Irish Authorities claim to have forensic evidence that links the accused to what was described as “a carefully planned attack.”
It is alleged that eight smoked cigarettes recovered from the detonation site contain DNA that matches the DNA profile of Mr McCauley. It is also alleged that DNA found on two smoked cigarettes found at the site suggest that the cigarettes were shared by Mr McCauley and Eugene Toman.
It is alleged that the site the bomb was detonated from was a remote area, and it is claimed that there was no obvious reason for anybody to be there other than for some purpose linked to the bomb attack.
The Northern Irish Authorities claim that the overall evidential proof shows that Mr McCauley was involved in the bomb attack, but have not identified, nor confined, his specific role in the incident.
The warrant further states that in 2014 Mr McCauley had a conviction or the possession of firearms in suspicious circumstances quashed by Northern Ireland’s Court of Appeal on the grounds that members of the Northern Irish security service had engaged in behaviour that amounted to grave misconduct.
Matters raised in the Court of Appeals decision were referred to the Chief Constable of the PSNI for investigation.
This resulted in an investigation called Operation Kilna which was conducted by the Chief Constable of Police Scotland.
That investigation contained an observation that there maybe potential investigative opportunities into the bombing at Kinnego Embankment.
In 2019 a probe, called Operation Turma, into the 1982 killings was commenced by the PSNI which has ultimately resulted in charged being brought against Mr McCauley.
At the High Court on Thursday Ms Justice Miriam O’Regan was told that Mr McCauley was arrested at an address in Naas, Co Kildare on foot of the warrant, issued under the Trade and Co-Operation Agreement between the EU and the UK, seeking his surrender by members of the Garda Extradition Unit on Wednesday evening.
Detective Sergeant Adrian Murray of the Garda Extradition Unit said that he arrested Mr McCauley, informed him of his rights and provided him with a copy of the warrant.
The gardaí said that Mr McCauley confirmed his age and place of birth that he was the person whose surrender is sought. The detective said that when he asked Mr McCauley if he knew what the charges contained in the warrant were about, he replied “no”.
In reply to Karen Nolan BL for the Minister for Justice, the detective said that the state was objecting to bail due to the serious nature of the charges contained in the warrant and that Mr McCauley was deemed a flight risk.
No application was made on Mr McCauley’s behalf for bail, however his counsel Andrew Moriarity BL, instructed by Madden and Finucane Solicitors said that an application for bail will be made in the near future.
Counsel said that it is their case that Mr McCauley is “anchored to this jurisdiction.”
Counsel also told the court as “an aside” that his client had agreed to be interviewed by the Chief Constable of the PSNI about the matter.
Ms Justice O’Regan having been satisfied that the person before the court was the person whose surrender is being sought, and that he has been informed of his rights, including his right to voluntarily surrender to the requesting state, remanded Mr McCauley in custody.
The matter will return before the Courts on August 28th next in the Criminal Courts of Justice.
- Sign up for push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
- Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date
- Listen to our Inside Politics podcast for the best political chat and analysis