Two Galway mosque bomb plotters claim anti-immigrant groups drove their radicalisation

Garrett Pollock and Darren Gorman admitted to attempting to ignite the Maryam Mosque on Monivea Road in Galway, a crime they said was motivated by anti-immigrant rhetoric encountered online. The scheme was thwarted when Gardaí, during a standard drug stop, discovered IED components and a manifesto for a splinter group called the Irish Defence Army in the boot of Pollock’s car. Both men, who have no prior history of violence, told the three-judge panel that they were radicalised by extremist groups such as the Irish Citizens Army and smaller online circles, later distancing themselves from those influences.

Psychologists highlighted Pollock’s troubled childhood, substance abuse, and low self-esteem, while Gorman was described as “extremely submissive” with a low baseline risk of future violence. The court, noting their remorse and the lack of further evidence, adjourned sentencing to 13 October and remanded the three accused in custody. Investigators also linked the plot to a chat group named Shadows of Eire, which used AI-generated manuals for bomb construction.