THREE MEN charged with INLA membership have been granted bail at the Special Criminal Court.
Gareth Dunne (22), Clonard Road, Crumlin, Dublin, Gerard Kelleher (27), Cathedral View Walk, Kevin Street, Dublin, and Edward McGarrigle (42), Melmont Gardens, Strabane, Co Tyrone, are charged with membership of the INLA on February 22nd.
Mr Dunne and Mr Kelleher were yesterday released on their own bonds of €100 and an independent surety of €20,000 each.
Mr Justice Paul Butler said that Mr McGarrigle could be released on his own bond of €100 and an independent surety of €40,000.
Mr McGarrigle was remanded in custody until his independent surety is finalised. He will also have to live in the Republic.
The State had earlier objected to bail. Det Supt Diarmuid O'Sullivan told the court he believed that the accused men would "interfere with witnesses and abscond the country for the purposes of evading trial".
He said that, if granted bail, the men would "commit further crime on behalf of the INLA".
Det Supt O'Sullivan told the court that the men were arrested as a result of an investigation which began in August last year. "Mr McGarrigle, Mr Dunne and Mr Kelleher travelled to Cork on February 21st, where they booked into accommodation using false identification," he said.
He said that the men were "observed carrying out surveillance on the home of a Cork businessman" and that it was "necessary for the gardaí to bring this information to the attention of the businessman to protect him from the intentions of the INLA".
Det Supt O'Sullivan said that on February 22nd, Mr Dunne and Mr Kelleher "entered the premises . . . wearing garden gloves and face masks" and were observed leaving a coal shed.
He told the court that when the coal shed was searched, "three knives, cable-ties, duct tape and other face masks, namely women's tights for the purpose of concealing their identity", were found.
Mr Justice Butler said he accepted the fears of Det Supt O'Sullivan, but there were mechanisms for dealing with such fears.
Two other men were also charged last Monday with INLA membership. They are John McCrossan (46), Ballycoleman Estate, Strabane, Co Tyrone and Neil Myles (53), of no fixed abode.
All five men were remanded until April 15th when the case will be mentioned again.