Two Dublin men who admitted having a pipe bomb on the city's north side were each sentenced to six years' imprisonment, with the final three years suspended, by the Special Criminal Court in Dublin yesterday.
Christopher McCarthy (29), The Vale, Woodfarm Acres, Palmerstown, and Daniel McFaul (22), Croftwood Crescent, Ballyfermot, had pleaded guilty last year to the unlawful possession of an improvised explosive device containing nitrocellulose and a timing power unit at Belcamp Crescent, Dublin, on January 20th last year. Det Supt Diarmuid O'Sullivan of the Special Detective Unit told the court that gardaí mounted a surveillance operation after receiving confidential information that the Continuity IRA intended to carry out an operation at Belcamp Crescent on the night in question.
He said McCarthy was the driver of a motorbike which arrived at Belcamp Crescent in Darndale early that morning.
The passenger, McFaul, got off the bike and headed towards Belcamp Crescent but later got back on the motorbike. A short time later the same bike returned and McFaul was seen getting off the bike again and walking across a green area towards a van parked in the driveway of a house.Gardaí observed him removing what appeared to be a lunch box from a satchel and putting it under the van.
Both men tried to escape when they realised gardaí were present but were arrested.
An Army team carried out two controlled explosions on the suspicious device under the van and people were evacuated from their homes.