Lithuanian had manifesto in his car outlining attack in Galway, court told

A FAR-RIGHT group calling itself the Irish Defence Army was planning an imminent terrorist attack on a mosque before gardai intervened, a court heard yesterday.

- BY MICHAEL O'TOOLE

The claim was made by a detective garda in a contested bail application at Portlaoise District Court of one of two men charged after the alleged seizure of explosive substances in the Co Laois town last Tuesday.

Lithuanian national Karolis Peckauskas, 38, with an address in Drogheda, Co Louth, failed in his bid for bail and was remanded in custody to appear in court again on December 11.

Detective Garda Joe Fahy, of Portlaoise Garda Station, told Judge Andrew Cody that as part of the investigation, gardai seized documents from the boot of Peckauskas' car at O'Moore Place in the town last Tuesday night.

The detective added: “There was a manifesto document outlining the intention to attack a mosque.

“We firmly believe an attack was imminent in relation to that mosque.”

Peckauskas, of Newfoundwell Road, Drogheda and who the court has lived in Ireland since 2006, faces one charge of knowingly having in his possession an explosive substance at O’Moore Place, Portlaoise, on November 4.

It's alleged he had in his possession four threaded pipe end caps and six litres of hydrogen peroxide in suspicious circumstances.

He first appeared in court last Friday, when he did not make a bail application and was remanded in custody.

He was back in Portlaoise District Court yesterday and made a bail application this time — but Judge Andrew Cody declined to release him after gardai objected.