A Co Tyrone man appeared in court on Wednesday where he was charged with five terrorist-related offences dating back over a decade.
Brian John Carron, from Claremount Drive in Coalisland, denied all five charges levelled against him.
He is currently on remand on a charge of attempting to murder Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell.
The 40-year old refused to stand when asked to by a clerk at Belfast Crown Court but did confirm his name.
He was then charged with five offences which the Crown allege were committed on a date unknown between October 31, 2010 and April 6, 2011.
Carron was charged with possession of explosives and having bomb making components.
When asked how he pleaded to the first count, Carron replied “not guilty.” He was also charged with possessing the same list of explosives under suspicious circumstances and pleaded “not guilty” to the second charge.
The court clerk then charged Carron with possessing firearms and ammunition - namely four AK47 assault rifles, six magazines suitable for use with an AK47 assault rifle, a quantity of ammunition and a quantity of cartridges - with intent to endanger life or cause serious injury to property or to enable some other person to endanger life or cause serious injury to property contrary.
He denied this charge and also a charge of possessing the same items in suspicious circumstances. The fifth and final charge was possessing articles for use in terrorism - namely a powered air pistol, a black Vauxhall Astra car, a silver Ford Focus car, a grey Seat Leon car, a blue Ford Transit van and two Nokia Mobile phones. When asked he how pleaded to this charge, Carron again replied “not guilty.”
The accused was initially charged with the five offences in 2018 and following several adjournments, the case was withdrawn and the charges were dropped in 2019. However, earlier this year the charges were reinstated.
Following Wednesday’s arraignment, Carron’s solicitor Peter Corrigan told Mr Justice Fowler that the defence was launching an application to stay the proceedings against his client.
Citing double-jeopardy, Mr Corrigan said this application was on the grounds that the DNA evidence which an expert concluded “was of no value to the prosecution ... hasn’t changed since the defendant previously was charged with these matters” in 2018.
Mr Justice Fowler said that due to the legal application being launched, he was not setting a date for trial today. The senior judge said he would review the case on November 15, 2024 - but said that if all parties were in a position to deal with the stay application on that date, he would deal with it then as he was “keen to progress the matter.”
As Carron was being led back into custody, he again acknowledged two men and two women sitting in the public gallery who gave him the thumbs up.