A MAN who was found in possession of a British Army member's vehicle registration has been handed a 30-month sentence.
Gabriel Meehan, 45, pleaded guilty to terrorism-related offences in connection with an attack at Enniskillen Police Station in 2021, which was claimed by the Continuity IRA.
He was also sentenced over a number of security alerts between March 13-19, 2021, and the discovery of an improvised firearm in Enniskillen during that time.
"Today's outcome follows a thorough investigation by detectives investigating four reports of bomb threats made via media outlets in 2021," said Detective Superintendent Griffin of the PSNI.
Phone calls
BBC News reports that on March 15, 2021, a man called a Co. Fermanagh newspaper claiming to represent the North Fermanagh Continuity IRA.
The caller said shots had been fired at Enniskillen Police Station and a device had been left nearby, although police said no device was found and there were no reports of any shots.
The following day, Meehan was seen near a Territorial Army centre in Enniskillen, with a later search of his property uncovering the registration number of a solider who had exited the site.
He was also seen near the Lough Shore Path area that day, where a device was later recovered by police following a call to another newspaper.
Shotgun-type weapon
"Following a number of searches, a suspicious object was located in the Lough Shore Path area, in the vicinity of Riverside, on March 17, 2021," added DS Griffin.
"The item was later found to be an improvised shotgun-type weapon and consisted of a spent 12-gauge shotgun cartridge.
"Due to the amount of cartridge discharge residue present, it was assessed that it had recently been fired.
"A subsequent search of Gabriel Meehan's house recovered a number of items, including a phone which included a vehicle registration number of a member of the British Army, and photos of the improvised shotgun-type weapon found in the Lough Shore Path area.
"He was arrested and charged with terrorism-related offences in May 2021 and, earlier this year, pleaded guilty to collection of information likely to be of use to terrorists."
Meehan will serve a minimum of two thirds of this sentence before being eligible for release.
