Eamon Bradley being taken into custody after appearing at a special sitting of Derry Magistrates Court after his first court appearance in 2014 . Photo: Lorcan Doherty Photography.
THE trial has started of a Derry man accused of terrorist charges linked to the civil war in Syria.
Eamon Bradley, of Benview Estate in the Coshquinn area of the city, faces a total of six charges at his trial in Derry Crown Court.
The 28-year-old denies all the charges in a case which is the first of its kind in the North.
The offences are alleged to have been committed between March 31 and October 29, 2014.
Mr Bradley was arrested by detectives from the PSNI’s Terrorist Investigation Unit based at Maydown in Derry in October 2014 on his return home from Syria.
The charges state:
(1) Defendant on a date unknown between the 31st day of March 2014 and the 31st day of July 2014, in the County Court Division of Derry or elsewhere within the jurisdiction of the Crown Court, attended at a place, whether in the United Kingdom or elsewhere, which was used for instruction or training of the type mentioned in section 54(1) of the Terrorism Act 2000, namely, a training camp in Syria, knowing or believing that instruction or training was being provided there wholly or partly for purposes connected with the commission or preparation of acts of terrorism or Convention offences, or that you could not reasonable have failed to understand that instruction or training was being provided there wholly or partly for such purposes contrary to Section 8 of the Terrorism Act 2006
(2) Defendant on a date unknown between the 31st day of March 2014 and the 31st day of July 2014, in the County Court Division of Derry or elsewhere within the jurisdiction of the Crown Court, received instruction or training in the use of firearms, namely an AK47, DShK 38 and BKC contrary to Section 54(2) of the Terrorism Act 2000
(3) Defendant on a date unknown between the 1st day of May 2014 and the 30th day of September 2014, in the County Court Division of Derry or elsewhere within the jurisdiction of the Crown Court, received instruction or training in the use of explosives, namely a grenade contrary to Section 54(2) of the Terrorism Act 2000
(4) Defendant on a date unknown between the 1st day of May 2014 and the 29th day of October 2014, in the County Court Division of Derry or elsewhere within the jurisdiction of the Crown Court, unlawfully and maliciously had in your possession or under your control a certain explosive substance, namely, a grenade, with intent by means thereof to endanger life or cause serious injury to property, whether in the United Kingdom or elsewhere, or to enable some other person so to do contrary to Section 3(1)(b) of the Explosive Substances Act 1883
(5) Defendant on a date unknown between the 1st day of May 2014 and the 29th day of October 2014, in the County Court Division of Derry or elsewhere within the jurisdiction of the Crown Court, other than as alleged at charge 4, unlawfully and maliciously had in your possession or under your control a certain explosive substance, namely, a grenade, with intent by means thereof to endanger life or cause serious injury to property, whether in the United Kingdom or elsewhere, or to enable some other person so to do contrary to Section 3(1)(b) of the Explosive Substances Act 1883
(6) Defendant on a date unknown between the 1st day of May 2014 and the 29th day of October 2014, in the County Court Division of Derry or elsewhere within the jurisdiction of the Crown Court, other than as alleged at charge 5, unlawfully and maliciously had in your possession or under your control a certain explosive substance, namely, a grenade, with intent by means thereof to endanger life or cause serious injury to property, whether in the United Kingdom or elsewhere, or to enable some other person so to do contrary to Section 3(1)(b) of the Explosive Substances Act 1883
Eamon Bradley while in the Middle East fighting in the Syrian civil war
Bradley had admitted in police interviews fighting in three battles against ISIL and the Assad regime.
He also told police he attended training camps under the control of Jaysh Al Islam (Army of Islam) and received weapons and explosives training and signed up to join the Mujahadeen.
But he claimed he later became disillusioned with the fighting and in July 2014 returned to the family home at Melmore Gardens in Derry’s Creggan estate.
At hearing.
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