The Garda Special Branch is continuing to question the three Libyans and one Algerian arrested in south Dublin yesterday. However, there is no indication that charges are likely.
According to Garda sources there is little evidence that the four were involved in any serious terrorist activity. The four men are being held under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act which allows their detention without charge for three days.
The men aged between 24 and 39 were arrested yesterday morning during a swoop on five premises on the south side of Dublin city. Two of the men were taken to Terenure Garda station, and the others are being held at Kevin Street.
One of the men, arrested at his home in Ballinteer, has lived here since the 1980s and is a naturalised Irish citizen. He has been involved in a number of Islamic charities, including Mercy International Relief Agency (MIRA) which is registered here as a charity and has been connected with Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda group.
Another man is understood to be a cousin of an extremist figure who lived here from 1999 to July this year. This man is believed to have been the link between a small group of between 15 and 20 Islamic extremists and bin Laden's group.
All four are being questioned under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act. They can be held for 72 hours before being charged.