A court hearing in London involving four Irish men arrested for bomb-making activity was adjourned this morning after one of the accused collapsed in the dock.
The hearing at Horseferry Road magistrates court was adjourned for 15 minutes while an ambulance was called.
During the hearing the four men - Robert Lee, 35, Patrick Gallagher, 45, Patrick Dunne, 29, and Alan McGovern, 32 - said nothing except to acknowledge their names.
The court was informed that the prosecution would oppose application for bail because the accused could abscond.
The four men were arrested on Thursday after British anti-terrorist police raided an address in Ealing, West London.
The hearing was told that investigating officers recovered a substantial amount of bomb making material. It was also told there was evidence that a number of test explosions had been carried out.
A fifth man, who was also arrested on Thursday and who was not identified, was bailed to return to a central London police station in March.
After the arrests police refused to speculate on possible targets for the pipe bomb attacks but did say there was no evidence to connect them with London bomb attacks last year by dissident republican splinter groups.
"They don't think it is the Real IRA", one police source said on Thursday.
Security sources believe an active service unit of the Real IRA was responsible for the attacks which included the bombing of Hammersmith Bridge and a rocket assault on the headquarters of the MI6 security service.
Reuters