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Three men plead guilty to planning a terrorist attack on a Galway mosque
Overview
Three men, including a County Down resident, have pleaded guilty at the Special Criminal Court in Dublin to attempting to engage in terrorist activity by planning to damage the Maryam Mosque in Galway using improvised incendiary devices. The defendants—Garrett Pollock, Darren Gorman, and Karolis Peckauskas—were members of a self-styled violent right-wing extremist group called the Irish Defence Army. They were arrested in November 2025 and are scheduled to be sentenced on 30 October 2026.
Key points
- Three men pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in terrorist activity by planning to blow up the Maryam Mosque in Galway.
- The defendants are Garrett Pollock (36) from Annalong, County Down; Darren Gorman (34) from Portlaoise; and Karolis Peckauskas (39) from Drogheda.
- The men belonged to the Irish Defence Army, described by police as a violent right-wing extremist splinter group.
- Police found advanced plans to use improvised incendiary devices, including pipe bombs and Molotov cocktails, between 4 and 5 November 2025.
- Garrett Pollock also pleaded guilty to possessing an explosive substance found in glass jars hidden in his van.
- The defendants filmed a video claiming responsibility for the planned attack while wearing tactical gear in front of an Irish flag.
- The court heard that Pollock had been rapidly radicalised online after misusing alcohol and cocaine.
- The men are scheduled to be sentenced on 30 October 2026.