A group of dissident republicans were reportedly preparing to carry out a punishment beating when gardaí raided a house in Dundalk last week, the Special Criminal Court was told yesterday.
Det Supt Michael Hoare said he believed the six men arrested at the house were members of the same illegal organisation that had carried out the Omagh bombing in 1998, which killed 29 people.
The six were charged last week with membership of an illegal organisation following their arrest at a house in Nicholas Street, Dundalk, Co Louth, on January 5th.
The six are: Mr Dalton McKevitt (26), St Aubin's Avenue Road, Dundalk; Mr Niall Farrell (25), Cedarwood Park, Dundalk; Mr Tony O'Hare (40), Marrion Park, Dundalk; Mr Vincent McKevitt (44), Mountain Court, Point Road, Dundalk; Mr Alan Browne (35), of a separate address in Mountain Court, and Mr Eoin Quigley (29), Oakland Park, Dundalk.
They are charged that on Saturday, January 5th, 2002, within the State, they were members of an unlawful organisation styling itself the Irish Republican Army, otherwise the IRA, otherwise Óglaigh na hÉireann.
Yesterday Det Supt Hoare, who opposed bail, said that gardaí who entered the house at Nicholas Street found the six accused men in the sitting-room. They also found a sawn-off shotgun, a 9mm pistol, ammunition for both the shotgun and pistol, balaclavas, walkie- talkie radios, a scanner, a hammer and a metal bar.
Mr O'Hare said later he did not expect there were going to be firearms in the house. He said he was going to give some people a lesson because of their involvement in housebreaking in the area.
The court refused bail and remanded all six in custody until March 19th.