A BELFAST man facing charges in connection with a major arms find in Co Dublin has appeared before the Special Criminal Court after his extradition from Northern Ireland.
Mr Sean Braniff (41), of Juniper Court, Twinbrook, was one of three Northern Ireland men who failed to turn up at the court on January 16th. Warrants were issued for their arrest.
Mr Braniff was handed over to gardai at a Border crossing point in Co Monaghan on Saturday. Det Insp Peter Maguire from the Special Detective Unit in Dublin told the court he had arrested Mr Braniff at Anagola, Glaslough, Co Monaghan, on Saturday morning on foot of a warrant issued by the Special Criminal Court.
He had given Mr Braniff copies of a number of warrants regarding his extradition from Northern Ireland and told him he would be brought before the court. Det Insp Maguire said he had been in court on December 5th when Mr Braniff appeared before it and was remanded on bail until January 16th. Mr Braniff had failed to turn up for that hearing.
A state solicitor, Mr Brendan Counihan, said Mr Branifs solicitor had been notified of the handover by the RUC, but Mr Braniff was not represented at Saturday's hearing.
Asked by Judge Gerard Buchanan if he wished to say anything, Mr Braniff said he had been unable to attend court on January 16th because he was in custody in Belfast at the time. Det Insp Maguire said that was correct and Mr Braniff had been arrested in Belfast in December last year.
Mr Braniff was one of three men charged in Northern Ireland in January with taking two shot guns and a rifle from a house in Annacloy, Co Down, on January 13th. He was remanded in custody to Crumlin Road prison in Belfast before his extradition.
Judge Buchanan remanded him in custody to April 16th.
Mr Braniff is one of four men charged in connection with having two FN FAL automatic rifles, two Kalashkinov rifles, two US M3 submachine guns and 20 9mm Browning semi automatic pistols at Blackhall, Balbriggan, Co Dublin, with intent to endanger life or to enable another person to endanger life on April 4th last year and with having the guns for an unlawful purpose.
Two of his co accused, Mr Hugh Torney (41), of Springfield Road, Belfast, and Mr Dessie McCleary (41), of no fixed address, face similar charges. They were freed on bail by the High Court last year but failed to turn up in court on January 16th. Warrants were then issued for their arrest.
A fourth man, Mr Anthony Patrick Gorman (25), of Dalton Road, Armagh, appeared before the court on January 16th and was remanded on continuing bail until April 16th.
A Belfast solicitor read a statement to the court in July 1995 from Mr Torney on behalf of the accused. The statement claimed the accused had influenced the INLA to suspend its military operations in July 1994 before the IRA declared its ceasefire on August 31st, 1994.