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No Bail for Man Charged with Possession of Explosive Device He ‘Kept in a Museum’
Prosecutors said the device contained Semtex and could have caused catastrophic damage, while gardaí also linked the case to the New IRA.
Museum employee Simon O'Donovan, 44, and law student Isobella Perrie Sullivan, 25, were remanded in custody after being charged with possession of explosives following a vehicle stop near the Irish border on Wednesday, July 22.
Gardai stopped and searched a vehicle near Carrickmacross on Wednesday, discovering an explosive device believed to contain Semtex; authorities allege O'Donovan stored the material at the Collins Barracks National Museum.
During Saturday's Special Criminal Court hearing, O'Donovan represented himself after his solicitor could not take instruction due to a strike over legal aid fees. The court refused his bail application after gardai raised objections.
Perrie Sullivan appeared before Trim District Court on Friday, where she was granted bail with strict conditions including a €15,000 independent surety. She remains in custody pending surety approval.
The Special Criminal Court remanded O'Donovan in custody until October 5 for service of evidence. Perrie Sullivan faces further bail hearings as officials investigate connections to the dissident republican group known as the New IRA.