Would-be Galway mosque bombers made video warning they would carry out further attacks, court hears
Three men associated with a right-wing extremist group called the 'Irish Defence Army' have appeared in court for plotting to bomb a mosque in Galway. The group, which formed in 2025, had prepared IEDs and filmed videos threatening further attacks against mosques and those supporting international protection applicants.
Why it matters
The case highlights the rise of anti-immigration extremist groups and the threat of domestic terrorism targeting minority communities.
A group styling itself the “Irish Defence Army” planned to smash the windows of a mosque using sledgehammers and throw pipe bombs inside to make a “public statement”, the Special Criminal Court heard on Monday.
The three-judge court also heard evidence that the defendants had a Signal group chat called “Shadows of Eire”, in which they shared information on making improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and discussed their plans to attack a mosque.
The plan was foiled when a Garda drug unit stopped two of the organisation’s members in a car and noted that one of them, Garrett Pollack, was evasive, seemed nervous and his leg was shaking. They searched the car and discovered written oaths, crests and a group manifesto along with materials related to the making of IEDs.
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