IRA trial hears bomb component evidence

At the Special Criminal Court in Dublin, evidence was heard regarding booster tubes discovered in separate locations linked to an IRA trial. James Joseph Cassidy, aged 55, from Castleblayney, County Monaghan, has pleaded not guilty to charges of IRA membership on 21 September 2016. A garda ballistics expert provided a statement detailing similarities between a booster tube found in a Monaghan shed in 2016 and one recovered from a homemade explosive device discovered in a County Louth church car park in May 2014. Both tubes were identical in length and diameter, painted black, and featured rows of drilled holes. Colonel David Hathaway, an explosives ordnance disposal specialist with two decades of experience, gave evidence describing the construction and function of the Louth device, which contained ammonium nitrate, semtex explosive, and a timing mechanism. The defence challenged the relevance of this evidence, arguing it pertained to device possession rather than the membership charge. Justice Tony Hunt ruled the evidence admissible as circumstantial. The trial continues.