The trial in Lithuania of an Irishman charged with attempting to buy and smuggle arms and explosives for the Real IRA continued today.
Michael Campbell (36), from Dundalk, Co Louth, appeared before a court in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius.
He was arrested in a sting operation in Lithuania in January 2008 involving the Lithuanian authorities in co-operation, it is believed, with security services in Ireland and Britain. He was arrested when allegedly negotiating an arms purchase with Lithuanian agents posing as arms dealers.
He was detained after allegedly paying €10,000 for guns and about 10kg of high explosives and detonators.
"I don't agree," Mr Campbell told the Vilnius Regional Court, when asked whether he agreed with the charges. Mr Campbell, who has been in custody in Lithuania since his arrest, said he would make a detailed statement later in the trial, which is expected to last for several months.
Mr Campbell faces 10 to 20 years in jail if found guilty, the prosecutor added. If convicted and sentenced he can be moved to Ireland, the prosecutor said.
Mr Campbell is the brother of Liam Campbell, one of four alleged senior Real IRA figures whom a civil court found were involved in the 1998 Omagh bombing that killed 29 people including a woman pregnant with twins. The four were ordered to pay £1.6 million in damages to the Omagh families who took the case.
The Lithuanian authorities are seeking the extradition of Liam Campbell, who is in custody in Northern Ireland on foot of an extradition warrant relating to the same charges facing his brother.