A Garda superintendent has told the Special Criminal Court in Dublin that a search warrant was issued for a house in Limerick city where seven men accused of membership of an illegal organisation were arrested, after he briefed another senior garda in the city.
Supt Gerard Mahon said he directed three detectives to monitor the movements of Mr Des Long and Mr Patrick O'Shea, on December 17th, 2001, and he met Supt Anthony Kennelly at Henry Street Garda station at 7.30 p.m. that night.
He briefed Supt Kennelly who then issued a search warrant under the Offences Against the State Act for a search of a house at Shanabooly Road in Ballynanty.
Supt Mahon, who was then a detective inspector, said he then briefed a large party of gardaí on the information he had to hand and on the operational requirements to carry out the search.
The court has heard that seven men were arrested when gardaí raided a house in Shanabooly Road, Limerick, in December 2001.
Mr John Edwards SC, prosecuting, has told the court that gardaí found a note in the house which referred to firearms and had other references to a person "wanted for kneecap job" and to a "safe house".
He said the unlawful organisation in the case was the Continuity IRA. Chief Supt Gerard Kelly gave evidence earlier that in his opinion, each of the seven accused was a member of an unlawful organisation on December 17th, 2001. They have pleaded not guilty to a charge that on that date, they were members of the IRA.
They are Mr Des Long (62), vice-president of Republican Sinn Féin, Shannon Banks, Limerick; Mr Patrick Kenneally (58), Crusheen, Co Clare; Mr Patrick O'Shea (54), Sir Harry's Mall, Limerick; Mr Gerard Brommell (43), Rostura Crescent, Woodview Park, Limerick; Mr Robert McNamara (59), St Michael's Avenue, Tipperary; Mr Joseph Lynch (61), Beechgrove Avenue, Ballinacurra Weston, Limerick, and Mr Christopher Dunne (28), Donnellan Buildings, Rosbrien, Limerick.
Cross-examined by Mr Donagh McDonagh SC for Mr Kenneally, Supt Mahon said he was not present when Supt Kennelly signed the search warrant but he identified his signature on it.
Cross-examined by Mr Martin Giblin SC, for Mr O'Shea, Supt Mahon said he did not become aware until two days after the Garda raid that two other men had been in the house just before the Garda operation. He did not know who the two men were and had asked Det Sgt P.J. Walsh to find out.
Cross-examined by Mr Peter Finally SC for Mr Brommell, he refused to disclose the source of his information. Mr Finally asked the court to rule on the issue and it will hear further submissions today.