County Down man among those guilty of planning mosque attack
The three men pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in terrorist activity in November 2025.
County Down man among those guilty of planning mosque attack
A man from County Down is one of three men who have admitted attempting to take part in a terrorist act, namely damaging a mosque in Galway.
The men are Garrett Pollock (36), of Kilhorne Greene in Annalong; Darren Gorman (34), of O'Moore Place in Portlaoise; and Karolis Peckauskas (39), of Newfoundwell Road in Drogheda.
The Special Criminal Court in Dublin heard that they had drawn up detailed plans to blow up the Maryam Mosque on Monivea Road between 4 and 5 November 2025 when they were arrested.
Pollock also admitted possessing an explosive substance, which was discovered in four glass jars concealed in a drawer in his van on 4 November.
The men were members of the self-styled Irish Defence Army, which Det Insp Alan McDevitt described as a violent right-wing extremist group.
He told the court that the group was a breakaway from the online Irish Citizens Army and communicated on the messaging app Signal, RTÉ has reported.
McDevitt said gardaí (Irish police) did not know when the attack was planned for, but the men intended to use improvised incendiary devices including pipe bombs and "Molotov cocktails".
The men had recorded a video on Pollock's phone in Gorman's kitchen in Portlaoise, claiming responsibility for the attack.
The footage showed four masked men in tactical gear standing in front of the Irish flag.
In the video, they said they would like "to take responsibility for destruction of first mosque introduced into our great country in Galway".
The court has also received a written letter from Pollock in which he expressed remorse and shame for his actions.
On Friday, it heard that Pollock was "radicalised" online after he began misusing alcohol and cocaine.
Pollock, who works as a gym instructor, consumed radicalised material about supposed threats immigrants posed to the community, described as "emotive, ill-informed and AI-generated".
The court heard that after making contact with a group and being invited into smaller groups, he found a sense of belonging and became radicalised very quickly, wanting to show them he was committed.
A doctor who assessed Pollock said his actions were taken in the context of emotional dysfunction, low self-esteem and isolation.
Meanwhile, Gorman's defence counsel told the court that his psychological report highlights extremes of submissiveness and vulnerability, that he was a drug user and addict, and that he also had certain mental health issues.
They added that he had no history of violence, hatred or terrorism.
The men will be sentenced on 30 October 2026.