Three men arrested after a Garda swoop on an alleged meeting of the "Real IRA" leadership at a Co Meath hotel last month were refused bail by the Special Criminal Court in Dublin yesterday.
The court was told the men were arrested when detectives raided a room at the Neptune Beach Hotel in the village of Bettystown on July 29th.
Det Supt Peter Maguire, of the Special Detective Unit, said gardai found a stun gun in a bag in the room, which had been booked by a man using a false name and address.
He said the State's case against the men would be the belief of Det Chief Supt Basil Walsh, the head of the Special Detective Unit, that the men were members of an illegal organisation. That belief would be corroborated by other evidence, he added.
He said the organisation was a splinter group which broke away from the IRA in 1997 because it disagreed with the IRA ceasefire. The organisation had carried out 28 serious terrorist attacks in Northern Ireland in 1998. It called a formal ceasefire following the Omagh bombing in August 1998 but continued to carry out serious crime.
He said the organisation was continuing its activities in Northern Ireland, the Republic and Britain. He opposed bail for the three and said he believed that if granted bail they would continue their activities and would commit further serious crimes.
Mr Declan Carroll (24), of Edenmore Crescent, Raheny, Dublin, Mr Sean Mulligan (51), of Carnalughoge, Louth village, Co Louth, and Mr Robert Brennan (32), of Sillogue Road, Ballymun, Dublin, are each charged with membership of an illegal organisation styling itself the Irish Republican Army, otherwise Oglaigh na hEireann, otherwise the IRA, on July 29th.
Det Supt Maguire said gardai who raided the hotel room found three men there, including Mr Mulligan and Mr Brennan. During the Garda search, Mr Carroll arrived.
During 17 interviews with detectives, Mr Carroll had refused to answer questions about alleged membership of an illegal organisation.
Det Supt Maguire said Mr Carroll was granted bail by the High Court last December on a charge of membership of an illegal organisation in November last year.
He said Mr Mulligan and Mr Brennan denied membership of an illegal organisation. He said he believed all three were in leadership positions in the organisation.
Mr Justice Barr, presiding, refused bail and said the court accepted Det Supt Maguire's evidence and considered the refusal of bail was reasonably necessary to prevent the commission of further offences.
A fourth man, Mr Liam Campbell (32), of Upper Faughart, Dundalk, who faces the same charge, made no bail application. All four were remanded in custody until October 2nd.