Dissident republican terror suspects were close to completing a bomb twice the size of th Omagh device when gardaí raided a farmyard in Co Louth, a court heard today.
Supt Diarmaid O'Sullivan disclosed the advanced stage of the operation during a bail application at Dublin's Special Criminal Court.
Mr Joseph Fee (39) of Blackstaff, Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan; Mr Seamus McKenna (48), from Marian Park, Dundalk, Co Louth; and Greg Trainor (37), of Culdee Road, Armagh, are charged with unlawful possession of explosives on June 13th this year.
They could be jailed for up to 14 years if found guilty.
A fourth man, Mr Eamon Matthews (24), with an address at Dublin Road, Newry, has been accused of membership of the Continuity IRA and faces up to seven years in prison if convicted.
Continuity IRA men were putting the finishing touches to 1,100 pounds of explosives that detectives believe were bound for Northern Ireland, the court was told.
Opposing bail, Supt O'Sullivan told the court how Mr Fee, Mr McKenna and Mr Trainor were arrested after gardaí followed a Peugeot van to a farm shed at Thornfield, Iniskeen.
A bag of material containing 500 kilos of home-made explosives, an electric mixer, empty fertiliser bags and icing sugar were all discovered at the scene, the court heard.
As he set out his reasons why bail should not be granted, the detective insisted the men had been "caught red-handed" and would continue to plot bombings for the Continuity IRA, which he said was behind up to 25 planned terrorist strikes in Northern Ireland within the last 12 months.
PA