A detective garda yesterday denied threatening the public relations officer of the 32-County Sovereignty Movement that the Provos would get him.
Det Garda John O'Connor, of the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, also denied telling Mr Joe Dillon "Adams and us are all the one, and you are trying to break the ceasefire". He was giving evidence in a hearing at the Special Criminal Court on the admissibility of alleged statements made by Mr Dillon and three other men i after their arrest for explosives offences last year.
The court has heard that gardai found 28 bags of crushed fertiliser and five bags of fertiliser in granule form at Molly Malone's fish shop in Howth, and another bag of fertiliser in granule form at an unoccupied house in Bettystown, Co Meath. The prosecution has claimed the fertiliser was intended for use in an explosives mixture.
Mr Eamonn Flanagan (42), of The Square, Skerries, Mr Seamus Mc Loughlin (66), of Balkill Park, Howth, and Michael Blount (48), of Bath Road, Balbriggan, all Co Dublin, have pleaded not guilty to possession of an explosive substance with intent to endanger life or to enable another person to do so at West Pier, Howth, Co Dublin, on January 5th last year.
Mr Dillon (53), of Greenlawns, Skerries, Co Dublin, has pleaded not guilty to the same charges at Windswept, Golf Links Road, Bettystown, Co Meath, on the same date, and all four men have all pleaded not guilty to having an explosive substance in suspicious circumstances on the same date.
Cross-examined by Mr Dillon's counsel, Mr John Phelan SC, Det Garda O'Connor denied making a number of statements to Mr Dillon in Whitehall Garda station on January 8th last year, including that he had been seen loading a lorry in Bettystown.
When asked if Mr Dillon's version "smacked of the truth", Det Garda O'Connor replied "I am telling you, it's not the truth."
The trial continues today.