MORRIS TRIBUNAL: The detective garda at the centre of bogus explosives allegations told the Morris tribunal he had "misled" it in his evidence to it on Thursday evening because he was tired and confused.
Det Garda Noel McMahon, giving evidence for the tenth day, told about the first time he heard of a find of half a tonne of home- made explosives a decade ago near the site of the largest Orange parade in the Republic.
On Thursday, the detective garda said the first he knew of the find was when Ms Adrienne McGlinchey phoned him at 11.30 p.m. the night before the discovery, on July 18th, 1994. But yesterday, he told tribunal lawyer Mr Paul McDermott SC : "I misled you yesterday, I was tired and I was confusing things."
The find, in two locations near Rossnowlagh in south Donegal, is the largest of the explosives materials finds involving Det Garda McMahon's alleged informant, Letterkenny woman Ms McGlinchey.
"She was aware or overheard this was to be used," Det Garda McMahon said. "There was a house in Rossnowlagh going to be used to store explosives. A caravan was to be used. She didn't know if it was stolen or whatever."
It was going to be reported to be stolen, he said. "She didn't know if it was to be supplied by a sympathiser or genuinely stolen."
The detective garda said Ms McGlinchey in fact told him this seven to 10 days before the find was uncovered.
An internal hitch device would be attached to the caravan, allowing a car driver to release the caravan "by operating a device within the car at any given moment."
The caravan, packed with the explosives, would be used in an attack on British checkpoints at the Border town of Belleek.
Det Garda McMahon said Ms McGlinchey overheard the plan being discussed in a Provo safe house outside Letterkenny.
Mr McDermott asked the detective garda if he credited that IRA members would discuss this plan openly in front of Ms McGlinchey.
"She was to be involved in the movement of home-made explosives," the detective garda replied. Ms McGlinchey was to travel down as part of a boyfriend/girlfriend cover, and helped move materials from north Donegal to south Donegal.
Det Garda McMahon said Ms McGlinchey gave him three names of people who were in the house when the plan was discussed, and he passed them on to his detective inspector.
One of the individuals was a senior IRA member identified to the tribunal as "Mr B".
Det Garda McMahon is one of two gardaí alleged to have prepared explosives, together with Ms McGlinchey, that later turned up in bogus Garda arms finds. Both Det Garda McMahon and Supt Kevin Lennon, also suspended at present, have denied the claims and Ms McGlinchey has persistently maintained that she never had an informer's role.
Det Garda McMahon said he did not tell Carty investigators about the planned IRA bomb attack because he felt "insulted" by the internal garda inquiry.
The tribunal resumes on Monday.