The 32 County Sovereignty Movement's PRO told a court yesterday he thought his house was under "armed attack" during an early-morning Special Branch raid. Mr Joe Dillon alleged in the special criminal court that a detective pushed a pistol into him and told him: "You have no fucking rights."
He was giving evidence in a ruling on the admissibility of alleged statements made by him to gardai after his arrest for explosives offences.
The court has heard gardai found 33 bags of fertiliser at a disused fish shop in Howth, Co Dublin - Molly Malone's - and another bag of fertiliser in granule form at an unoccupied house in Bettystown, Co Meath.
The prosecution claims the fertiliser was intended for use in an explosives mixture.
Mr Eamonn Flanagan (42), the Square, Skerries; Mr Seamus McLoughlin (67), Balkill Park, Howth, and Mr Michael Blount (48), Bath Road, Balbriggan, Co Dublin, have pleaded not guilty to having an explosive substance to endanger life or to enable another to do so at West Pier, Howth, Co Dublin, on January 5th last year.
Mr Joseph Dillon (53), 32 County Sovereignty Movement PRO, Greenlawns, Skerries, Co Dublin, has pleaded not guilty to having an explosive substance to endanger life or to enable another to do so at Windswept, Golf Links Road, Bettystown, on January 5th last year.
The four pleaded not guilty to having an explosive substance in suspicious circumstances on the same date.
Mr Dillon told his counsel, Mr John Phelan SC, he saw armed men in green rain-gear outside his home on the morning of January 8th last year. The men said to "open the fucking door" or they would kick it in. He said when he went down to the door he was pounced on by an armed man. "I assumed it was an armed attack."
He was arrested and taken to Whitehall Garda station, where a detective said he had been caught red-handed. Mr Dillon said he told gardai he knew nothing about explosives.
The trial continues today.