Three men behind plot to bomb Galway mosque jailed

Three men pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in terrorist activity by planning to firebomb Maryam Mosque on Galway’s Monivea Road between 4 and 5 November 2025. The offence was aggravated by hatred. The court heard that their threats extended beyond the mosque to people involved with IPAS centres, hotels and other accommodation for people seeking international protection.

Garrett Pollock, aged 36, received ten and a half years, with the final year suspended. Darren Gorman, aged 34, received eight years, with the final year suspended. Karolis Peckauskas, aged 39, also received eight years, with the final year suspended. Pollock separately pleaded guilty to possessing an explosive substance.

The sentences reflect a planned attack rather than a completed firebombing. Gardaí found chemicals, cable ties, knives, masks and other items, and the men had prepared a video claiming responsibility. The judge said the plan appeared to be the first of many attacks and that it brought shame on Ireland.

Terrorist activity generally means serious violence, or preparation for it, intended to intimidate a population or advance a political, religious or ideological cause. The article describes the planned attack as part of a right-wing extremist campaign against immigrants and those connected with their accommodation. This goes beyond a private criminal dispute or isolated property damage.

The men allegedly planned to use Molotov cocktails and pipe bombs against Maryam Mosque. They also filmed a threatening statement before the attack, claiming responsibility in advance and warning that the Galway attack would not be the last. Their stated targets included mosques, IPAS centres, hotels and accommodation for people seeking international protection.

That combination made the alleged conduct terrorist in character: planned violence, an extremist ideology, selected targets and an attempt to spread fear widely. The judge called it attempted arson with a terrorising message intended for worldwide distribution. The offence was also aggravated by hatred, according to the article.

The court dealt with three men: Garrett Pollock, Darren Gorman and Karolis Peckauskas. However, the article says that four masked men appeared in the recorded responsibility video. It does not state how many people belonged to the wider Irish Defence Army, so the alleged plan cannot be given a precise total membership figure.

The named targets included the Maryam Mosque in Galway, other mosques, IPAS centres, hotels and accommodation for people seeking international protection. The threats also covered people who helped establish or facilitate those places, and potentially women considered a threat to the group’s loved ones. The targets therefore extended beyond one building.

Gardaí said the men planned to use improvised incendiary devices called Molotov cocktails and pipe bombs. Officers seized chemicals that could be used in pipe bombs, along with cable ties, knives, hatchets, masks, balaclavas and sealing putty. Pollock also possessed explosive material in four glass jars.

The Special Criminal Court is an Irish court that hears certain serious criminal cases without a jury. It can be used where the legal system considers a case unsuitable for an ordinary jury trial, including cases involving terrorism or organised threats. The article identifies it as the court that sentenced the three men.

Here, the charges involved attempting to engage in terrorist activity by planning to firebomb Maryam Mosque. The court also heard evidence about a right-wing extremist group, threats against immigrants and people connected with mosques and accommodation, and preparations for Molotov cocktails and pipe bombs.

The article does not state the formal reason the case was assigned to the Special Criminal Court. It does show why the proceedings were treated as a serious national-security matter rather than a routine arson case. A judge presided, and Detective Inspector Alan Devitt gave evidence about the alleged group and its activities.

If the planned attack had gone ahead, people inside or near Maryam Mosque could have faced flames, explosions, smoke and serious injuries. Molotov cocktails can spread fire, while pipe bombs can cause blasts and flying fragments. The article does not report any completed attack or injuries, because the men were stopped before it happened.

The threats reached beyond mosque worshippers. The men named people involved with mosques, IPAS centres, hotels and other accommodation for people seeking international protection. Their recorded message also said women could be targeted if they were considered a threat to the group’s loved ones. Anyone helping establish or facilitate those places was warned.

The wider danger was therefore both physical and psychological. The judge said the video carried a sinister and menacing message and was intended to terrorise. She also said the plan appeared to be the first of many attacks, with members expected to train in bomb-making.

Right-wing extremist groups are movements that adopt extreme far-right ideas and may support hostility or violence against minorities, immigrants, governments or other perceived opponents. The article describes the Irish Defence Army as a violent right-wing extremist group focused on attacking immigrants and people linked to their accommodation. Its stated message opposed some immigrants being allowed to remain.

The group communicated on Signal, a messaging app. The men used the group name “Shadows of Eire,” adopted code names, shared an insignia and oath, and prepared a manifesto and video. These online and shared materials helped create a common identity and spread instructions or threats among participants.

The alleged activity then moved offline. The men met in person, travelled together, gathered chemicals and weapons-related equipment, and recorded a responsibility video. Gardaí stopped them before the planned attack. The case shows how private digital communication can support coordination, propaganda and preparation for violence, although the article does not describe every online exchange.

IPAS centres are connected with Ireland’s system for accommodating and supporting people seeking international protection. The article does not give the full meaning of the acronym or describe the centres’ daily services. It does make clear that they are among the places associated with people seeking international protection.

The group threatened to attack IPAS centres, hotels and other accommodation, as well as people who helped facilitate them. Its video claimed that immigrants had created dangers and warned anyone involved in establishing such facilities. The threats therefore focused on both the people seeking protection and the locations or organisations connected with their accommodation.

This matters because the alleged plan was wider than an attack on one mosque. IPAS centres were named alongside mosques and accommodation sites as part of a campaign against immigrants. The men were arrested before the Galway attack, so the article records threats and preparations, not a completed attack on an IPAS centre.