Courts / Dublin / Report

Cord with "high order" explosive found in Dublin hotel room, trial hears

Date
2016-02-11

Stage
Charge Or Pretrial

Primary locality
Lucan

County
Dublin

Summary

In a Special Criminal Court hearing, a 55‑year‑old Northern Irish man, Samuel Devlin, pleaded not guilty to unlawful possession of a high‑order explosive (PETN) at Finnstown House Hotel, Lucan, on 11 May 2014. The court heard that Devlin had booked the hotel room under a false name and that a detonating cord containing PETN was found in the room. Three rolls of cord, 26 metres long, were wrapped in towels inside a laptop case. Forensic analysis confirmed PETN and revealed plastic tubing and fibres that matched the cord. A plastic bag containing these remnants was discarded in a public bin outside the hotel, where a National Surveillance Unit member observed Devlin deposit it on 9 May 2014. DNA from latex gloves and a laptop plug in the bin matched Devlin, as did DNA lifted from the laptop itself. The trial resumed on Tuesday.