Border bomb case against Irish law student paused

Prosecutors said they are awaiting updates before deciding the next steps in a case stemming from the interception of a military-grade explosive bound for Northern Ireland.(CN) — An Irish law student charged after police intercepted a vehicle carrying a military-grade explosive near the Northern Ireland border appeared briefly in court Friday, as prosecutors said they were still awaiting updates before progressing the case.Isobella Perrie Sullivan, 25, of County Kildare, Ireland, appeared before Monaghan District Court, where the case was adjourned until Sept. 28 after a Garda officer told the court the director of public prosecutions was awaiting further updates.The director of public prosecutions is Ireland’s independent state prosecutor, responsible for deciding whether criminal charges should proceed.The hearing lasted only a few minutes. Perrie Sullivan stood as her case was called and did not address the court. She entered and left court covering her face.She is charged with possession of an explosive substance after Irish police stopped a vehicle on the N2 highway at Aclint, near Carrickmacross in County Monaghan, about 6 miles from the Northern Ireland border, in July.Carrickmacross is about 65 miles from Belfast and 90 miles from Dublin.The case stems from an intelligence-led operation announced by An Garda Síochána, Ireland’s national police service, on July 24.Officers stopped the vehicle near the border and later arrested a second suspect during follow-up searches in Dublin.Police said officers searching the vehicle found a bag on the rear seat containing military-grade Semtex explosive and a detonator. Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly previously described the device as a complete bomb rather than bomb-making components and said it had the potential to cause significant damage.Authorities believe it was destined for Northern Ireland and said the operation targeted violent dissident republicans.Irish republican groups seek to end British rule in Northern Ireland and unite it with the Republic of Ireland.While most support that goal through a democratic process, a small number of dissident republican groups rejected the 1998 Good Friday Agreement and continue to advocate or use violence.At an earlier hearing, Perrie Sullivan’s defense solicitor said she had been asked to transport a bag to Northern Ireland without knowing what it contained and argued she had been “manipulated.”She remains on bail under conditions imposed by the court, including a prohibition on contacting anyone associated with Saoradh or the New IRA.Saoradh is a small Irish republican political party that Irish authorities have linked to the New IRA.Also facing charges is Simon O’Donovan, 44, an employee at a Dublin museum.He is charged with possessing an explosive substance at St. Laurence’s Road in Chapelizod, Dublin, on July 22.He has been remanded in custody until Oct. 5.The arrests raise issues of the continuing threat posed by dissident republican groups nearly three decades after the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, the U.S.-brokered peace accord that largely ended the sectarian conflict known as the Troubles.During the Troubles, explosives and weapons were frequently smuggled across the border from the Republic of Ireland into Northern Ireland for attacks by republican paramilitary groups.While the Provisional Irish Republican Army ended its armed campaign in 2005, smaller groups including the New IRA continue to carry out sporadic attacks using improvised explosive devices.Courthouse News reporter James Francis Whitehead is based in England.Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads