Leading ONH chief Carl Reilly charged with directing terrorism

A senior dissident republican leader has been remanded in custody after being charged with directing the terrorist activities of Oglaigh na hEireann (ONH) following a covert surveillance operation.

Carl Reilly, from Pollard Close off the Springfield Road, is also accused of membership of ONH, a proscribed organisation.

The 39-year-old is also chairman of ONH’s political wing Republican Network for Unity (RNU).

But police have long believed he sits on the ruling ‘ONH Army Council’.

Belfast Magistrates’ Court heard today that Reilly was arrested on Saturday morning.

He had been the target of cross-border covert surveillance operation involving detectives from the Garda’s secret Crime and Security Branch and the PSNI’s C3 Intelligence Branch.

Reilly was detained under section 41 of the Terrorism Act after a security operation in which two men were secretly recorded at the Carrickdale Hotel just over the border in Co Louth.

The alleged offences are believed to have occurred between January and October this year.

The secret recordings of the meetings revealed talks on dissident republican shootings, bombings and ‘box timers’.

Reilly was allegedly captured going into the hotel with the other man on CCTV footage.

Unknown to him, covert Gardai were secretly bugging their conversations.

Reilly was refused bail and remanded into custody to Maghaberry prison for a month.

He was jailed for ten years for a 1999 gun attack on Woodbourne PSNI station in west Belfast.