Man (48) is charged over Dublin airport alert

A 48-year-old man was today remanded in custody after being charged in connection with a major security alert at Dublin Airport…

A 48-year-old man was today remanded in custody after being charged in connection with a major security alert at Dublin Airport.

Unemployed John McHugh was charged with making a false statement, under Section 12A of the Criminal Law Act 1976.

The false statement relates to alleged remarks that sparked an evacuation at Dublin Airport yesterday afternoon. Garda Chris Elliott told Dublin District Court the man's actions led to the airport being shut down for two hours.

The defendant, an Irish national born in England, was charged at Santry Garda Station at 9.52pm last night. When asked by Sergeant Michael Shine if he had any response, the accused said: "Not at this moment."

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Gardaí told the court they objected to the accused being released on his own bail because of the seriousness of the charge. Judge Leo Malone remanded the defendant in custody with consent to his own bail of €500 and an independent surety of €1,000.

Under the bail conditions, he must also sign on daily at Fitzgibbon Street Garda Station and stay away from both Dublin and Shannon airports. The accused's solicitor Kieran Conway said his client had no access to an independent surety.

The judge remanded the defendant in custody to appear before Cloverhill Court on July 12th.

  • A spokesperson for Dublin Airport said today that all services were back to normal with no delays. However, flights will be disrupted tomorrow due to planned Siptu industrial action. The action is planned to take place between 9.45am and 11.00am. Passengers are advised to check-in as normal. A Siptu spokesperson said that there are talks taking place today between the union and Aer Lingus but that the action will go ahead as planned.