Duo plead guilty to explosive charges

Two men have pleaded guilty today of plotting to cause explosions in London and Birmingham in 2001.

Thirty-year-old James McCormack and 19-year-old John Hannan, pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to causing explosions between 1 January and 15 November 2001.

The news of the two men’s guilty pleas were revealed at the trial of three other suspected Real IRA terrorists which started in the Old Bailey in London today.

Twenty-three-year-old Robert Hulme, his brother 26-year-old Aiden Hulme and 34-year-old Noel Maguire, all deny charges of conspiracy to cause explosions.

The charges relate to three car bombs, which were planted outside the BBC studios in Wood Lane, Shepherd's Bush, London; in Ealing Broadway, west London; and in Queensway, Birmingham.

Prosecutor Mr Orlando Pownall QC told the court: “It's alleged by the Crown that they were each involved with others in a Real Irish Republican Army bombing campaign on the mainland and that they were members of an active cell which was responsible for the detonation of three car bombs in the year 2001.”

He said it could be assumed that because all three devices were similar in makeup and used the same codeword that they were all made by the same group. He added while there was no evidence the men had actually planted the bombs there was evidence they were involved in the planning.

"There can be no dispute that those responsible intended to endanger life or cause serious damage to property," Mr Pownall said.

The trial is expected to last around 10 weeks.

(AMcE)