A Derry man caught with four primed mortar bombs in the city last year has been jailed for 12 years at Belfast Crown Court.
Seamus McLaughlin, from Eastway Gardens in the Creggan area, admitted the possession of explosives with intent to endanger life and having articles for terrorist purposes.
The 37-year-old was the driver of a white Citroen Berlingo van stopped by police on Letterkenny Road on 3 March last year.
Police believe the four primed mortars discovered in the vehicle were intended to be fired at PSNI headquarters on Strand Road.
The court heard McLaughlin was wearing a dark jacket zipped up to his face with the hood up, a baseball cap over a woollen hat, gloves and plastic “overshoes.”
An improvised mortar system which included four launch tubes, four propelling units and four mortar bombs, containing a quantity of explosives, were secured in a frame and were ready for deployment.
A timing device was also found in the vehicle, as was a further device designed to destroy the van.
A hole had been cut in the roof of the van to enable the mortars to be fired.
The prosecutor also said that while the mortar device may have had a “crude element”, it was “nonetheless functional” and ready to be deployed.
McLaughlin was given an extended custodial sentence of 12 years in custody, followed by an extended period of five years on licence.
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