‘I’d like to visit them in prison and ask why?’: Fears linger at Galway mosque targeted by bomb plot

Three men were convicted after planning an attack on the Maryam Mosque in Galway. Their target was the mosque at Old Cottages, Monivea Road. The charge stated that they attempted to set fire to it between November 4th and 5th, 2025. The offence was aggravated by hatred.

The planned attack involved pipe bombs, weapons and links to a terrorist organisation calling itself the Irish Defence Army. Gardaí found the materials before the attack happened. The mosque could have been full when the men intended to strike. Up to 200 people, including children, were expected to be praying there on a Friday morning.

Garrett Pollock, Karolis Peckauskas and Darren Gorman were sentenced to a combined 26 years. Pollock received 10½ years, with the final year suspended. Peckauskas and Gorman each received eight years, also with the final year suspended. All three apologised for the planned attack.

A pipe bomb is an improvised explosive device made by placing explosive material inside a strong, usually metal container. The container confines the blast for a moment. When pressure becomes too great, it can rupture violently. This makes the device dangerous even before considering the explosive itself.

Its main hazards are the blast wave, heat and fragments. The pipe can break into fast-moving pieces, while nearby glass, masonry or other objects may also become shrapnel. People close to the explosion can suffer burns, penetrating injuries, hearing damage or fatal trauma. Damage can also spread through doors, windows and walls.

The article does not describe the exact construction of the devices found. It reports that explosive materials and weapons were discovered in a car connected to the planned mosque attack. The threat was especially serious because up to 200 people, including children, might have been inside. Gardaí found the materials before the attack occurred.

Up to 200 people, including children, might have been inside Maryam Mosque when the planned attack was due to happen. The intended timing was a Friday morning, when members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community were praying. This number shows why the plot caused such deep alarm in Galway.

The men were charged with attempting to set fire to the mosque between November 4th and 5th, 2025. Gardaí also found explosive materials and weapons linked to the plan. A fire or explosion in a crowded place could have threatened worshippers directly and caused panic during an evacuation.

One year later, Ibrahim Noonan said the community remained traumatised by the realisation of what might have happened. Attendance initially fell because people were scared. It has since increased, but fewer people attend early-morning prayers despite additional security measures. The possible presence of children made the planned attack especially disturbing.

The plot was uncovered during random drug searches carried out by gardaí. Officers searched a car in which Garrett Pollock and Karolis Peckauskas were travelling. During that search, they found explosive materials, weapons and evidence connected with a terrorist organisation calling itself the Irish Defence Army.

The discovery disrupted the planned attack before the men could carry it out. The article does not give details about the exact search location, the type of weapons, or how the evidence linked the car to the mosque plot. It does state that the findings led to charges against the three men.

The arrests prevented a planned attempt to set fire to Maryam Mosque in Galway. Darren Gorman was also charged, although the article does not say that he was in the car when the materials were found. The three men were later convicted of attempting to engage in terrorist activity and received a combined 26-year sentence.

A threatened attack can affect a religious community long after arrests and sentencing. People may fear that the threat was not an isolated event. They can change when they worship, avoid certain services or feel anxious around possible warning signs. The emotional harm can therefore continue after the immediate danger has passed.

At Maryam Mosque, attendance fell after the arrests because people were scared. Ibrahim Noonan said the community worried about whether there would be another attempt. He also described anxiety and flashbacks when he saw a white van, believing the attackers had monitored the mosque from one for weeks.

Attendance has increased again, but fewer people attend early-morning prayers despite extra security. Muhammad Anwar Malik said fear does not disappear when a sentence is passed. The community remains shocked and traumatised, while its leaders continue seeking safety and greater condemnation of far-right ideology.

The Ahmadiyya are a Muslim community with about 500 to 600 members in Ireland. Around 200 live in Galway and worship at Maryam Mosque, named after Mary, the mother of Jesus. The community describes itself as active in peace efforts and engagement with wider society.

Many Ahmadis left Pakistan because they faced persecution there. The article does not specify the laws, incidents or organisations responsible for that persecution. It says many fled because of it and thought they were safe in Ireland. Muhammad Anwar Malik, who was born in Karachi, said his four children were proud to be Irish.

The Galway plot damaged that sense of safety. Malik said he had lived in Ireland for almost 26 years without feeling unsafe before hearing about the attack. He and others said Islamophobia was rising and that a small part of society had been radicalised by far-right people. The community continues its peace efforts.

Far-right radicalisation can move from hostile ideas to terrorist activity when people treat a religious or ethnic community as an enemy and begin planning violence against it. The process matters because prejudice can become recruitment, surveillance, weapons gathering and an organised attack. The article links the Galway plot to a terrorist organisation calling itself the Irish Defence Army.

In this case, the men were accused of monitoring Maryam Mosque, collecting explosive materials and weapons, and attempting to set it on fire. Their charge was attempting to engage in terrorist activity or terrorist-linked activity, aggravated by hatred. Random drug searches then uncovered materials and evidence before the planned attack.

Hate-crime laws can recognise prejudice as an aggravating factor, while counterterrorism policing can disrupt plans and support prosecution. The article shows both roles through the hatred aggravation and the Special Criminal Court sentences. It also shows that prevention does not erase fear, so community protection and condemnation remain important.