A sophisticated Provisional IRA operation to make homemade detonating cord in a kitchen in Co Waterford was described at the Special Criminal Court yesterday. Garda ballistics expert, Det Sgt Brendan McArdle, said the homemade detonating cord was made from Semtex explosives and used as a booster charge in IRA explosions. After describing how the cord was manufactured he said: "It was ingenious in its own way."
The court was told that gardai discovered 258 ft of detonating cord packed in two plastic pipes in a van at a car-park in Co Kildare. Later, they searched a house in Co Waterford and uncovered the manufacturing operation.
Mr Denis Lahiff (45) and single, of Carrick Road, Portlaw, Co Waterford, and Mr Simon Kieran Maxwell (31), a married father of one, of Stonehall, Multyfarnham, Co Westmeath, were arrested in the car-park of Mother Hubbard's restaurant.
They have denied possession of improvised detonating cord containing the explosives, PETN and RDX, with intent to endanger life at Ballyonan, Moyvalley, Enfield, Co Kildare, on February 17th last. Mr Lahiff has also denied possession of explosive substances with intent to endanger life at his home at Portlaw, Co Waterford, on the same date.
Det Sgt McArdle said petrol was used to dissolve slabs of Semtex, a high grade military explosive, and white powder containing PETN and RDX were extracted from it. He said he found items in the kitchen of Mr Lahiff's house at Portlaw used in the operation to pack the powder into lengths of pliable plastic tubing. i found two lengths of timber and two motors which allowed the operation to be carried out on two lengths of tubing simultaneously. He said he believed from debris found in the kitchen that the manufacturing process had been conducted in the kitchen up until a few days before its discovery.
"Detonating cord is a flexible, linear explosive. I have previously encountered it in this State," he said. "I am aware that it has been used by subversive groups such as the Provisional IRA as a booster to the detonating charge."
A verdict is expected today.