A 52-year-old man appeared in court today after officers investigating a dissident republican car bomb attack on a Derry city police station allegedly seized weapons at his home.
Thomas Christopher Nash from Iveagh Park in Prehen in the Waterside area appeared before magistrates charged with possessing a rifle and 140 rounds of ammunition. He is also charged with possessing an imitation AK47 assault rifle and an imitation P228 pistol as well as a CS spray canister.
All of the offences, which the defendant denies, are alleged to have occurred on August 9th, six days after the bomb explosion outside Strand Road PSNI station.
Last week, Philip O’Donnell from Baldrick Crescent in Derry was remanded in custody when he appeared in court charged with carrying out the bomb attack.
A detective chief inspector from the PSNI‘s Major Investigation Team told District Judge Barney McElholm that Mr Nash was arrested in relation to the bombing. He said that police officers searched the defendant’s marital home as well as a second address where he lived.
“In the marital address police found the butt of an AK47 assault rifle hidden in the drawer of a bedroom cupboard. At the second address where he lived officers found in a garage a .22 rifle, ammunition, a silencer, a sighting scope, three balaclavas and a pair of gloves," he said.
"We also searched a pillar to the rear of the house. The pillar had a lid cemented onto it and when the lid was removed officers found a replica AK47 assault rifle from which the butt had been removed."
Opposing bail, the police witness said the defendant was arrested under terrorist legislation and was suspected as being a member of a proscribed organisation.
He believed that given the recent “heightened dissident republican activity”, the defendant would re-offend if freed on bail. The police officer added that detectives “are following lines of inquiry in relation to the defendant and the Strand Road bombing”.
Refusing bail, the judge said the discovery of a rifle together with a silencer, a sighting scope and balaclavas was extremely serious. "We all know the terrorist situation in this country is escalating and shows no sign of improving and society must protect itself against those who seek to harm it," he said.
Mr Nash was remanded to appear in court again for a video remand hearing on September 9th.