The drama of Angelo Fusco's effort to avoid extradition took a further twist yesterday after angry supporters clashed with gardai outside the Four Courts.
Days after the High Court halted the handing over of the 43-year-old former IRA man to the RUC, a fresh order by the same judge, Mr Justice Finnegan, denied Fusco bail.
To chants of "no extradition" and "RUC-gardai", Fusco was driven away to begin a spell of up to several months in jail while awaiting the outcome of his legal challenge against extradition.
Scuffles broke out as demonstrators and Sinn Fein supporters clashed with gardai opening a path for the convoy carrying Fusco to Castlerea Prison, Co Roscommon.
Some protesters were dragged away but a garda said no arrests had been made.
Before his departure, Fusco had comforted his daughter, Elaine (26), when she broke down after hearing bail had been refused. Supporters who packed the wood-panelled courtroom were joined in the morning by the Sinn Fein president, Mr Gerry Adams.
Fusco, dressed in a beige bodywarmer, grey patterned jumper and black jeans, sat hand-in-hand with his wife, Mary, during the four-hour hearing. He was calm throughout as he gazed around the courtroom and nodded to supporters hanging over the balcony.
Fusco strode jauntily to the witness box in the afternoon to answers questions from lawyers and Mr Justice Finnegan. There was a moment of levity among the hours of detailed legal discussion when Mr Justice Finnegan asked Fusco why he had two fake driving licences in his transit van when arrested last Monday in Tralee, Co Kerry, where his family lives, after being on the run for almost two years.
A few people giggled when Mr Fusco said with a straight face that he had a Northern Irish licence "because I wanted to travel North" and a Southern licence "because I wanted to drive home to Tralee". He acknowledged that he had a third licence in his own name. He said he was living in Dublin with his brother while working as a builder, but visited his family most weekends.
When bail was refused a man shouted "shame". The judge glared at the public gallery and said: "If there's any more comment from the body of the court I'll have the court cleared. Is that understood?" His words were greeted with silence.