Three Men Jailed For Plotting To B0mb Mosque ‘To Spread Terror’
Three Men Jailed For Plotting To Bomb Mosque ‘To Spread Terror’
The court heard that the trio had made advanced plans to blow up the mosque on Monivea Road between November 4 and 5, 2025, when they were arrested.
A Special Criminal Court in Dublin has jailed three men for attempting to engage in a terrorist activity by planning to damage the Maryam Mosque in Galway, Ireland.
According to BBC, Garrett Pollock, 36, of Annalong, County Down, was sentenced to 10 and a half years, with the last year suspended. Darren Gorman, 34, of Portlaoise, and Karolis Peckauskas, 39, of Drogheda, each received eight years, with the last year suspended.
The court heard that the trio had made advanced plans to blow up the mosque on Monivea Road between November 4 and 5, 2025, when they were arrested.
Pollock also pleaded guilty to possessing an explosive substance, found in four glass jars hidden in a drawer in his van on November 4.
Delivering judgment on Friday, Justice Caroline Biggs said modern Ireland is a multicultural and diverse country and that the men’s actions “bring shame” on it. She described the plot as attempted arson meant to spread a terrorising message worldwide, adding that it was clearly intended to be the first of many attacks.
Detective Inspector Alan McDevitt told the court the men belonged to a self-styled group called the Irish Defence Army, which he described as a violent right-wing extremist outfit. He said it was a splinter of the online Irish Citizens Army, which communicated on the messaging app Signal.
McDevitt said police did not know when the attack was due, but the men planned to use improvised incendiary devices, including pipe bombs and Molotov cocktails. Items seized included cable ties, hatchets, knives, masks, balaclavas, sunglasses, sealing putty and an Irish flag. Police also recovered five litres of chemicals that could be used to make pipe bombs.
The men filmed a video on Pollock’s phone in Gorman’s kitchen in Portlaoise, claiming responsibility for the planned attack. It showed four masked men in tactical gear standing before the Irish flag.
The court heard that Pollock, a gym instructor, was radicalised online after he began abusing alcohol and cocaine.
He consumed content about supposed threats posed by immigrants, described in court as “emotive, ill-informed and AI-generated.” After being invited into smaller groups, he found a sense of belonging and wanted to prove his commitment.
A doctor who assessed Pollock said his actions came amid emotional dysfunction, low self-esteem and isolation. In a letter to the court, Pollock expressed remorse and shame.
Gorman’s lawyers said his psychological report showed extreme submissiveness and vulnerability. They added that he was a drug user with mental health issues and had no history of violence, hatred or terrorism.
