An Algerian man has appeared before the High Court facing extradition to the United States on international terrorism charges.
Ali Charaf Damache (47) was arrested on Wednesday afternoon in Waterford courthouse just minutes after he had pleaded guilty to sending a menacing phone call to US Muslim activist Majed Moughni.
Mr Justice John Edwards yesterday remanded Damache in custody at Cloverhill prison to appear again on Tuesday.
The charges arose after Damache was arrested in March 2010 as part of an unrelated investigation into a large conspiracy to murder Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks, who sparked an international controversy by depicting the Prophet Muhammad on the head of a dog.
Damache, who has been living in Ireland for a decade, unexpectedly pleaded guilty, on the sixth day of his trial, to sending a menacing message by phone. He was sentenced to three years.
However, as he had been in custody since March 2010, he was released immediately.
The charges on the US indictment relate to conspiracy to provide material support for terrorists and to attempted identity theft to facilitate an act of international terrorism.
Garda Sgt Derek Hughes told Cathleen Noctor, for the Attorney General, that he arrested Damache at Waterford courthouse at 4pm on Wednesday on foot of a High Court warrant dated February 15th, 2013.
He said he handed Damache copies of the warrant, the certificate from the Minister for Justice, the extradition request and the diplomatic note.
Sgt Hughes said that although a translator was not present at the time of the arrest, Damache was proficient in English, French, Arabic and Algerian.
He said that when Damache requested a translator at Waterford Garda Station, the garda in charge made contact with an interpreter over the telephone and conversed with Damache via the interpreter using a speaker phone facility.
Sgt Hughes said that he read over the contents of the warrant and explained the contents in detail to Damache and was satisfied that he understood.
When he met Damache this morning in the precincts of the court and showed him the original copies of the extradition documentation, Damache replied “oui”.
Asked by Ms Noctor if there was any reason as to why Damache was arrested in the courthouse, Garda Sgt Hughes replied that this was a “tactical decision” made by him in what he viewed as the “most opportune” moment to effect arrest.
There was no application for bail. Mr Justice Edwards granted legal aid for one counsel and said the court would hear an application for a second counsel once it was demonstrated an appropriate case had been made out.