A Dundalk man caught assembling a massive bomb in the Border town last year was jailed for 12 years by the Special Criminal Court yesterday. Chief Supt Michael Finnegan told the court the bomb was five times the size of that which caused loss of life and destruction in Omagh last August.
Kevin Murray (45) was one of two men caught by members of the Emergency Response Unit who raided a shed in a laneway in the town in March last year. Gar dai found a stolen jeep with false number plates, 1,240 lb of ammonium nitrate explosive mix, two beer kegs with the tops cut off, a time and power unit, two booster tubes, detonating cord and an electrical detonator.
Murray, a father of two and meat factory worker, of Oakland Park, Cox's Demesne, Dundalk, pleaded guilty to having the explosives with intent to endanger life or to enable another person to endanger life at Cuchulainn Terrace in Dundalk on March 21st, 1998. Mr Justice Barr said bomb-making was probably "the most grave of all terrorist offences".
Chief Supt Finnegan said gardai became suspicious when two men were seen leaving a suspect car and going into a shed. Armed detectives from the Emergency Response Unit who were on duty in the area were sent to search it. They found Murray and another man standing beside a jeep which had been stolen in Dublin that February. Brady had a length of fuse wire which he immediately dropped and the two men were arrested. The area was evacuated. Chief Supt Finnegan said the items found were the ingredients for " a very large bomb" which had the capacity to cause huge destruction and loss of life.
The court also issued a bench warrant for the arrest of the second man, Mr Derek Brady, (35) of Cedarwood Park, Dundalk, after hearing that he had breached his bail conditions.