A four-month Garda investigation into the origins of large drones spotted close to the Dublin fight path of Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has failed to determine who was responsible, Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan has said.
Speaking on Monday, the Minister said he was also concerned about the conviction of a man for Islamic State-inspired terrorism in Dublin, including a knife attack on gardaí. But he insisted the Republic would be safe, including for visiting heads of state, during Ireland’s upcoming presidency of the European Union.
Asked who was responsible for drones flying off Howth Head last year, around the flight path Zelenskiy’s plane had just taken, O’Callaghan said: “No, I don’t know definitively who was behind it, no.”
However, the Garda’s security operation for Ireland’s presidency of the EU from July 1st includes drone capabilities.
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“I’m very confident gardaí have the appropriate technology to respond to any threats that may arise from drones on land where their jurisdiction operates,” he said.
Those comments appeared to stress the Garda’s responsibility did not extend to the sea, where the Defence Forces is the primary security agency.
Up to five very large drones were spotted close to the flight path the Zelenskiy flight had taken into Dublin Airport on the night of December 1st. They were first spotted by the crew of the LÉ William Butler Yeats, positioned in Dublin Bay as part of the security operation in place for the visit.
The incident was regarded as a possible effort to disrupt the flight’s arrival or to cause embarrassment to the Republic and highlight its weak defences, probably by Russia, though that is not proven.
The incident raised concerns about the Republic’s preparedness to ensure the safety of heads of state and other dignitaries who will come to Ireland for summits during the EU presidency, especially given Russia’s desire to create disruption in western countries.
O’Callaghan said some €125 million in additional funding had been made available to the Garda for the policing and security operation around Ireland’s six-month presidency. The Garda was already “well prepared for it” and any extra resources required “will be provided”.
However, he also conceded the conviction last week of self-described jihadist Abdullah Khan (24) was a reminder Ireland was “not immune” from such terrorism. Khan set fire to a pub owned by Conor McGregor in Dublin 12 last summer. Four days later, on July 29th, at Capel Street, in Dublin’s north inner city he stabbed a garda on a Dublin street while shouting “Allahu akbar”.
He told detectives he was inspired by the founder of Islamic State, Musab al-Zarqawi, and had pledged his allegiance to the terrorist organisation. His sentencing hearing was told he was part of a “wider group of people of a like-minded mindset”.
Det Insp Gavin Ross of the Garda Special Detective Unit, which investigates terrorism, said a Garda inquiry was ongoing, with lines of inquiry still open.
O’Callaghan said it was clear “this was Islamist fundamentalist terrorism, and that is of concern to me”. The offences, and what motivated them, “makes us aware we’re not immune from this type of terrorism”, though O’Callaghan said it was “significant” very few similar cases had come to light in Ireland, unlike “other countries where you see it more frequently”.
