FOUR suspected IRA men will appear before a London magistrates' court today charged with conspiring to cause an explosion and possessing explosives following last week's security operation.
Scotland Yard named the four, who will appear at the high security Belmarsh magistrates' court in south east London, as Mr Brian McHugh (39), unemployed; Mr Patrick Kelly (30), unemployed; Mr James Murphy (25), a school groundsman; and Mr Michael Phillips (21), a British. Airways apprentice engineer.
The four were charged on Saturday afternoon. "We are not disclosing the addresses of those charged for operational reasons. There will be no further details released in connection with these charges", a Scotland Yard spokesman said yesterday.
Three of the men were arrested last Monday during early morning raids at addresses in west London. Mr Phillips was detained at a house in Crawley West Sussex, after he had finished working his shift at Gatwick Airport.
Another suspected IRA man,
Mr Diarmuid O'Neill (27), was shot at least six times by armed officers during the security operation. He was pronounced dead on his arrival at Charing Cross Hospital. The Police Complaints Authority is investigating his death.
Mr O'Neill's brother, Shane (23), was also arrested but was released on police hail on Friday night pending further inquiries.
At another raid on a warehouse in north London, police discovered 10 tonnes of home made explosives; two lbs of Semtex; three rifles; two hand guns with ammunition; two booby trap devices to attach to cars; several vehicles and other bomb making equipment.
Scotland Yard refused to comment on claims in the Sunday Times that Mr Diarmuid O'Neill was planning to blow up the electricity supply to the Channel Tunnel and had been seen by an undercover police officer inspecting the Folkestone power station last July.
It has also emerged that Mr O'Neill had recently been employed for 12 months as an odd job man at Haymarket publishing, which is owned by the deputy Prime Minister, Mr Michael Heseltine.