Three Northern Ireland men arrested after gardaí stopped a car in the Whitehall area of Dublin earlier this month were members of the Continuity IRA, a senior Garda Special Branch officer said at the the Special Criminal Court yesterday.
Det Supt Diarmuid O'Sullivan said that one of the three men, Mr Malachy Maguire, was "one of the main players" in the Continuity IRA in Newry, and was on an arms procurement operation when the gardaí intercepted the car.
The detective superintendent said that gardai discovered two rifles with telescopic sights and 11 rounds of ammunition in the boot of the silver Mercedes car which Mr Maguire was driving.
He said that earlier gardaí had observed Mr Maguire and another of the three men, Mr Desmond McCabe, loading a package into the boot of the car in the Nicholas Street area of Dublin.
Mr Malachy Maguire (33), of John Martin Gardens, Newry, Mr Desmond McCabe (40), of Merchant Court, Newry, and Mr Brian Quinn (31), of Parkhead, Newry, are charged with membership of an unlawful organisation styling itself the Irish Republican Army, otherwise Oglaigh na hEireann, otherwise the IRA, on September 13th.
Mr Maguire and Mr McCabe also face arms and ammunition charges.