The Special Criminal Court has reserved judgment in a defence application in the trial of five men accused of IRA membership following their arrest in Bray, Co Wicklow.
The court has heard that after the men's arrest, gardaí recovered a large quantity of Sinn Féin posters, including election posters for Sinn Féin TD Mr Aengus Ó Snodaigh, from a car in which they also found a stun gun and a CS gas canister.
It was the 19th day of the trial.
Mr Thomas Gilson (24), Jobstown, Tallaght; Mr Patrick Brennan (40), Lindisfarne Avenue, Clondalkin; Mr Seán O'Donnell (32), Castle Drive, Sandymount; Mr John Troy (22), Donard Avenue, and Mr Stephen Birney (30), Conquer Hill Road, Clontarf, have pleaded not guilty to membership of the IRA on October 11th, 2002.
Defence counsel for the five men have submitted that their arrest and detention under section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act was unlawful and as a result, interviews carried out with them by gardaí are not admissible in evidence.
The defence argues that the section 30 arrests were unlawful because of "a series of prior illegalities which took place prior to the arrests".
The court will give judgment on the defence applications next Tuesday.