In Ireland, a trial court—the High Court—has granted bail to Simon O’Donovan, 44, an employee of the National Museumand s of Ireland in Dublin who is accused of possessing a device containing Semtex explosives. As reported by The Irish Times, the man—a father of two and a resident of Dublin—must comply with a series of restrictive conditions and post a total bond of 40,000 euros. He had previously been remanded in custody by the Special Criminal Court.
O’Donovan, who worked at the museum for about ten years as deputy head of facilities management, is accused of knowingly possessing an improvised explosive device. According to reports in court, he was also allegedly a member of Saoradh, a dissident republican group active in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland and described by police as a far-left political movement. The order was issued by Judge Mícheál P. O’Higgins despite opposition from the Gardaí, the Irish national police: an officer from the Special Detective Unit, Investigative Sergeant Shane Noone, expressed concern that O’Donovan might continue to carry out operational activities in support of the New IRA’s objectives, as well as commit further crimes or interfere with witnesses. The man had been arrested as part of an SDU operation that led, last July, to the stopping of a car in County Monaghan, near the border.
According to the account of events, O’Donovan was tracked via surveillance footage as he rode his bicycle toward the War Memorial Gardens, where he reportedly met a co-defendant about twenty minutes later. He was then reportedly seen showing the woman the contents of a bag. Sullivan allegedly took the bag and drove toward Aclint, Carrickmacross, in Monaghan County, where she was stopped by SDU officers.
During the operation, as The Irish Times further reports, investigators stated that they recovered 394 grams of military-grade Semtex explosive, along with a timer, a timing device, and a functional detonator. The material, as reported to the court, had allegedly been transported to and stored in the museum—a circumstance that, according to Noone, posed a risk to the public and tourists, as well as to potential targets of terrorist activity. The officer further argued that the defendant had shown blatant disregard for that risk. It was confirmed that the seized bag contained Semtex.
At the time of his arrest, O’Donovan allegedly claimed that the action taken against him constituted a form of persecution linked to his membership in Saoradh, as reported in court by the SDU officer. The judge nevertheless ordered his release, subject to specific conditions. The defendant must personally deposit 10,000 euros and secure an independent surety who has an additional 30,000 euros available, a sum that will be frozen in his account. The surety has yet to be identified and may be approved at a later date by the District Court.
O’Donovan has surrendered his passport and must reside at his current address, observe a curfew from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., provide a cell phone number that can be reached 24 hours a day, and report daily to a Gardaí station. He is also prohibited from having direct or indirect contact with members of Saoradh or participating in the group’s activities.
The man will remain in custody on bail until the required sums are paid. The next hearing before the Special Criminal Court—the non-jury court with jurisdiction over the case—is scheduled for October 5, when the evidence file is expected to be submitted.
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| Dublin: Employee of the National Museum of Ireland Accused of Possessing an Explosive Device |
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