Three men plead guilty to plot to bomb Galway mosque with pipe bombs
Three members of a self-styled "Irish Defence Army" pleaded guilty to attempting to carry out a terrorist attack on a Galway mosque in November 2025.
Pipe bomb plot against Galway mosque: three guilty pleas at Special Criminal Court
Three men who planned to smash windows and throw pipe bombs into a Galway mosque have pleaded guilty to terrorist offences, the Special Criminal Court heard on Monday, the Irish Times reports.
The group, which called itself the "Irish Defence Army", intended to make a "public statement" by attacking the Maryam Mosque on Monivea Road, Galway, between 4 and 5 November 2025. The offence was aggravated by hatred.
Signal chat and bomb-making manuals
Evidence before the three-judge court showed the defendants operated a Signal group chat named "Shadows of Eire", through which they shared instructions on constructing improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and coordinated the planned attack.
The plot unravelled when a Garda drug unit stopped two of the group's members in a black BMW in Portlaoise on 4 November 2025. Detective Inspector Alan McDevitt told barrister Edward Doocey that one of the men, Garrett Pollock, appeared evasive and nervous, his leg visibly shaking. A search of the vehicle uncovered written oaths, crests, a group manifesto and materials linked to IED production. The boot contained a Tricolour, cable ties, tactical vests, hatchets, a lump hammer, knives, masks, pipe cap ends and five litres of peroxide — a substance that can be used in manufacturing pipe bombs. Both men were also carrying knives.
A subsequent search of Pollock's van, parked outside co-defendant Karolis Peckauskas's home in Drogheda, revealed a hidden drawer containing four IEDs.
Responsibility statement and threats of further attacks
Further investigation showed the group had prepared a written statement — composed in the past tense — claiming responsibility for bombing a mosque in Galway. They had also recorded a video in which they warned of additional attacks, stating that "an eye for an eye is going to be our approach going forward."
The group declared that legitimate targets would include mosques, anyone facilitating accommodation for international protection applicants, and estate agents who "house these thugs ahead of our own." They stated they would not target women or children "unless the woman is a threat to our country or loved ones."
Det Insp McDevitt described the Irish Defence Army as a right-wing extremist terrorist organisation with an anti-immigration ideology. It formed in October 2025 as a splinter from a larger group known as the Irish Citizens Army.
The accused
Karolis Peckauskas (39), of Newfoundwell Road, Drogheda, Co Louth, previously pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in a terrorist activity or a terrorist-linked activity.
Darren Gorman (34), of O'Moore Place, Portlaoise, Co Laois, and Garrett Pollock (36), of Kilhorne Greene, Annalong, Co Down, both pleaded guilty to the same charge. Pollock additionally pleaded guilty on Monday to possessing an explosive substance on 4 November 2025.
When gardaí asked Pollock at the scene to account for the items found, he replied: "We've done nothing yet."
Remorse and radicalisation
Peckauskas's barrister, Morgan Shelley, told the court his client expresses "sincere remorse and a sincere apology." Shelley said Peckauskas wishes particularly to apologise to the mosque-going community of Ireland, who must have found the offence "extremely traumatising."
Shelley said his client became radicalised after joining various online groups and was influenced by conspiracy theories, including those promoted by a group run by a former broadsheet journalist.
Lawyers for Gorman and Pollock are due to make their pleas in mitigation before the court next Friday.
Source: Irish Times