A Northern Ireland man has been jailed for three years by the Special Criminal Court for helping to make a massive home made bomb near the Border last year.
Gregory Trainor (38), from Culdee Road, Armagh City, pleaded guilty to the possession of an explosive substance - ammonium nitrate and sugar - at Thornfield, Inniskeen, Co Louth, with intent to endanger life on June 13th last year.
Detective Superintendent Diarmuid O'Sullivan, of the Special Detective Unit, told the court Trainor was one of two men using a cement mixer to mix an explosive mixture when gardaí raided a farmyard at Thornfield.
"There was 1100 lbs of explosives which would have been a huge bomb," he said. "The potential for damage was enormous and we believe it was in the final stage of completion."
Det Supt O'Sullivan said that Trainor - who has no previous convictions - was physically involved along with another man in making the explosive mix.
Mr Justice Diarmuid O'Donovan, presiding, said that Trainor had pleaded guilty to "an extremely serious offence" but the court had taken into account a number of mitigating factors.
The judge said that Trainor was a young man with no previous convictions and with no previous history of involvement in subversive activities. He said that Trainor would not " be considered a main player" in the activities and was a very lonely and vulnerable person who was easily manipulated.
The judge said the court also took into account references produced for Trainor from Monsignor Denis Faul and Mr Michael D. Higgins, TD.
He said the court was satisfied that Trainor will not reoffend and the court sentenced him to six years imprisonment but suspended the final three years and ordered the sentence to date from December 20th, 2003, to take into account time he has already spent in custody.