County Down man guilty in planned mosque attack
Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 9 Oct, 18:01 · Archive
A County Down man and two others have pleaded guilty to planning a terrorist attack on a mosque in Galway.
Garrett Pollock, 36, of Annalong in County Down, Darren Gorman, 34, of Portlaoise and Karolis Peckauskas, 39, of Drogheda have pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in terrorist activity at the Special Criminal Court in Dublin. They had made advanced plans to blow up the Maryam Mosque on the Monivea Road in Galway between 4 and 5 November 2025 when they were arrested.
Pollock also pleaded guilty to possessing an explosive substance found in four glass jars hidden in a drawer in his van on 4 November. The men were part of the self-styled Irish Defence Army, described by police as a violent right-wing extremist group and a splinter of the online Irish Citizens Army. They had planned to use improvised incendiary devices such as pipe bombs and 'Molotov cocktails' in the attack.
The men filmed a video on Pollock's phone in Gorman's kitchen in Portlaoise showing four masked men in tactical gear standing in front of the Irish flag, claiming responsibility for the attack. In the footage they said they would like 'to take responsibility for destruction of first mosque introduced into our great country in Galway'. Pollock has submitted a written letter to the court expressing remorse and shame for his actions.
How it is being reported
- ‘Deeply ashamed’ NI man one of three to plead guilty to planning mosque attackWould-be bombers claim they were radicalised by anti-immigrant extremistsBelfast Telegraph · 9 Oct, 20:18
- County Down man among those guilty of planning mosque attackThe three men pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in terrorist activity in November 2025.BBC Northern Ireland · 9 Oct, 16:48
In this story: Garrett Pollock · Darren Gorman · Karolis Peckauskas · Irish Defence Army · Maryam Mosque · Galway · County Down
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