Former Irish swimming coach George Gibney arrested in US
'An Garda Siochana is aware of the arrest of a male aged in his 70s in the United States on foot of an Irish international arrest warrant,' gardai said in a statement.
'As this is currently a matter for the US authorities, An Garda Siochana will not be commenting further at this time.'
The US Marshals Service has been contacted for comment.
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BBC News
42 minutes ago
- BBC News
High Court to rule on MI5 false evidence case after BBC investigation
Update: Date: 13:37 BST Title: What did the court hear last month? Content: While we wait for proceedings to begin at 14:00 BST, let's have a look back at what the court heard on 3 June: You can read our investigations correspondent Daniel De Simone's full story from the time. Update: Date: 13:28 BST Title: What's the case all about? Content: Cachella SmithReporting from the High Court The start of these proceedings tracks back to a man, known publicly as X, who served as an informant for MI5. A BBC investigation published in 2022 found X had used his position as a means to terrorise his partner, known as Beth. Video evidence showed him threatening to kill her and attacking her with a machete. The government had sought to block publication of this – failing to do so completely although succeeding in preventing publication of the man's identity, which is why we call him X. During these proceedings, and those brought by Beth, MI5 told three separate courts that it had stuck to its core secrecy policy of neither confirming nor denying X was a state agent. However, the BBC in February produced notes and phone call recordings proving MI5 had disclosed the man's status to them during attempts to prevent its investigation into the matter. It meant the agency had given false evidence in court. The agency has since issued an "unreserved apology" – calling what happened a "serious error". And that brings us to where we are now, and a situation that has raised questions about the reliability of MI5's evidence to courts generally as well as their policy of neither confirming nor denying the identity of who works for them. Update: Date: 13:25 BST Title: Judges to decide actions to take over MI5's false evidence Content: Daniel De SimoneInvestigations correspondent, reporting from court Three High Court judges will rule at 14:00 BST on what to do about false evidence given by MI5 to three courts. MI5 stands accused of deliberately lying when trying to block the BBC from publishing a story about a neo-Nazi state agent, who abused his partner. MI5 claimed it had never breached its core secrecy policy of neither confirming nor denying that the man was an agent, but the BBC proved it had. The case has become a major test of how the courts see MI5 and the credibility of its evidence. The Lady Chief Justice Baroness Sue Carr, and two other senior judges, will decide if MI5's explanations for the false evidence are adequate or whether the court needs to take further action. I'll be in court with my colleague Cachella Smith to bring you the latest.
Scottish Sun
3 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Scots drug smugglers snared in £26million cocaine sting as police & navy swoop on gang off Irish Coast
COASTAL CRACKDOWN Scots drug smugglers snared in £26million cocaine sting as police & navy swoop on gang off Irish Coast TWO Scots have been arrested for allegedly attempting to smuggle £26million worth of cocaine into the UK via Ireland. A massive haul was snatched off the southwest coast after armed gardai intervened in Courtmacsherry, Cork. Advertisement 5 They were arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle £26m worth of cocaine into Ireland Credit: Getty 5 A joint task force led by the Garda Síochána monitored a number of men and vehicles for over 24 hours in the run-up to the seizure Credit: Crispin Rodwell - The Sun Dublin 5 The Irish Navy were involved in the operation Credit: Andy Gibson - The Sun Dublin 5 The dramatic operation in the early hours of this morning came off the back of intelligence received by Gardai (ARCHIVE IMAGE) Credit: Crispin Rodwell - The Sun Dublin 5 The seizure is the largest since the €157million nabbed on board the MV Matthew in September 2023 (ARCHIVE IMAGE) Credit: Crispin Rodwell - The Sun Dublin Detectives are probing if the drugs had come from South America and suspect that Ireland was being used as "a gateway" to send the shipment on to England. Four men have been taken into custody - including the two Scots, and suspects from England and Germany. Two were initially nicked as cops swooped in and The Irish Navy caught two other members of the gang. A source told The Irish Sun: "It was a hugely successful operation by Gardai and their partners and should serve as a major warning for international drug gangs targeting the Irish coastline." Advertisement The seizure is the largest since the €157million nabbed on board the MV Matthew in September 2023, with eight of its crew set to be sentenced at the Special Criminal Court later this week. The dramatic operation in the early hours of this morning came off the back of intelligence received by Gardai. A joint task force led by the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau - which included Revenue, the Irish Naval Service and local cops - had monitored a number of men and vehicles for over 24 hours in the run-up to the seizure. The coke was brought ashore just after 4am yesterday and packed into a van off Broadstrand. Advertisement When Gardai looking on saw enough, the Emergency Response Unit intervened and stopped the van with their guns drawn. Two men - thought to be from Scotland and Germany - were taken from the vehicle as cops recovered the cocaine. York's Hidden Crisis: County Lines, Gangs, and the Fight for the City's Youth The Irish Naval ship L.E. William Butler Yeats - on patrol in the area as part of the op - responded, supported by a Maritime patrol aircraft from the Irish Air Corps, who also provided overhead surveillance during the operation. Two Naval Service rigid-hulled inflatable boats, carrying armed members from the Maritime Interdiction Team, were launched from the L.E. William Butler Yeats and intercepted the suspect boat off the coast of Cork. Advertisement These two suspects - one from Scotland and the other from England - were later caught and handed over to Gardai. A source said: "Gardai suspect these individuals were part of a UK organised crime gang. "At this stage, it appears the drugs were destined for the UK market and Ireland was being used as a gateway. "Clearly a lot of planning had gone into this and work is underway to establish who else was involved." Advertisement The four suspects - all aged in their 30s and 40s - have been arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking and could be hit with a variety of charges under gangland legislation. They can be held for a week before being either charged or released, with detectives now liaising with the Director of Public Prosecutions. Gardai are working closely with Interpol and colleagues in the UK as part of their efforts to establish the suspects' backgrounds. Investigators are also probing if Irish criminal gangs who provide certain logistical and transport support to other known criminal networks were involved. Advertisement Gardai also believe the drugs were initially collected by a mother ship, but it has yet to be located. In recent weeks, senior Gardai in Cork have held briefings to discuss the threat posed by transnational drugs gangs over the summer months. Although Europe's traditional drug networks have previously used the summer to transport shipments of cocaine across the Atlantic, they have also arranged shipments in late autumn and spring. A source said: "The international gangs seem to be more brazen and their shipments are happening all year round now. Advertisement "They have vessels that can be used in adverse weather conditions. "They also have access to RIBs that are faster than some of those used by the Irish Naval Service." West Cork Fine Gael Senator Noel O'Donovan and ex-member of An Garda Siochana commended the work of local and national units of the force, as well as the Naval Service and Air Corps. He said: "Early indications say this operation was under surveillance for the last number of days, so that is a testament to all involved for their professionalism and success in combating the importation of drugs and its further transportation. Advertisement "This is a significant detection ? the biggest drug bust in Ireland this year. "In West Cork, we are well aware how narcotics can be smuggled into this country and the continent. "All involved in this operation - An Garda Siochana, Naval Service, Air Corps - have worked extremely well together and shown their capabilities in taking on criminal gangs and international smugglers." O'Donovan added: "This capture highlights again the increased need for further Garda resources in West Cork - more Gardai patrolling our rural areas prevents and deters criminal activity. And, indeed, further investment in our Naval Service and Air Corps to continue this good work and combat criminality. Advertisement "I will be working with all, including Tanaiste and Defence Minister Simon Harris, to progress this." Meanwhile, Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan also hailed yesterday's op. He said: "Another major cocaine seizure worth up to €31million by Gardai this morning. Excellent co-operation involving Gardai, Defence Forces and Revenue, Praise ... O'Callaghan and another example of our work to disrupt the criminal gangs involved." Tanaiste and Minister for Defence Simon Harris posted on X: "I have been briefed by the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces on today's significant joint-agency operation." Advertisement He added: "I want to commend members of An Garda Siochana, Defence Forces, Naval Service and Revenue for their close collaboration in securing such a successful outcome."
Spectator
3 hours ago
- Spectator
Kneecap and Bob Vylan shouldn't be prosecuted
So here's the question I've been wrestling with since Bob Vylan chanted 'Death, death to the IDF' at Glastonbury at the weekend. Is Bob Vylan a 'he' or a 'they'? I don't mean a they/them, although that might be the case. I mean is Bob Vylan a person or a band? I keep seeing Bob Vylan referred to as 'him', including by the BBC, but a cursory Google search reveals that they are in fact a punk rap duo, with neither performer actually named Bob. Is the band's name supposed to be a play on Bob Dylan? And if they're embracing the word 'vylan', presumably a synonym for 'villain', they can't really complain about being prosecuted for their on-stage antics. They are self-proclaimed outlaws and to have this confirmed by the police and the Crown Prosecution Service will no doubt enhance their bad boy image, in much the same way that Kneecap, the Northern Irish republican band, are no doubt absolutely delighted that one of their members is being prosecuted under the Terrorism Act. Should we indulge Bob Vylan in this way? My north star here is the Brandenburg Test, which was established in the US Supreme Court case of Brandenburg vs Ohio (1969). This was a First Amendment challenge to the prosecution of a member oftheKu Klux Klan called Clarence Brandenburg for threatening the President, Congress and the Supreme Court with violent reprisals if they continued 'to suppress the white Caucasian race'. The Supreme Court found for Brandenburg on the grounds that providing speech isn't 'directed to inciting or producing imminent lawless action and is likely to incite or produce such action' it is protected. It seems clear that calling for the death of the IDF, while clearly abhorrent, is not likely to produce imminent lawless action. Incidentally, the same applies to Lucy Connolly, the wife of a former Tory councillor and mother of one who was sentenced to 31 months in jail for a single tweet about burning down asylum hotels. Given that she didn't name a particular hotel and added the caveat 'for all I care', her post wasn't likely to incite imminent lawless action either. Nevertheless, could Bob Vylan be prosecuted under UK law, a question currently being considered by Avon and Somerset Police? One suggestion is they may be guilty of an offence under the Public Order Act 1986: intending to stir up racial hatred, which is what Lucy Connolly was prosecuted for. In their defence, Vylan could argue that the IDF is a military organisation, not a racial group, and Lucy Connolly could have made a similar argument about asylum seekers if she had pleaded not guilty – they're not a distinct racial group and therefore she wasn't being 'racist'. But, interestingly, Lady Hale ruled in R vs Rogers (2007) that, for the purposes of deciding whether an offence is 'racially aggravated', the definition of 'racial group' included 'foreigners', even if that group contains people of many different ethnicities. I think the prosecution in Lucy's case would have argued that Lady Hale's definition of 'racial group' applies to the 'stirring up' offence, not just to racially aggravated offences, but it would be hard to run a similar argument in the prosecution of Bob Vylan. While I think the punk rap duo will probably escape prosecution, I'm not so confident about Kneecap. They, too, are being investigated by Avon and Somerset Police for their behaviour at Glastonbury over the weekend. The incident in question was the band calling on their fans to riot outside Westminster Magistrate's Court where the lead singer, Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, is due to go on trial for allegedly displaying the flag of Hezbollah, a proscribed terrorist organisation. That could be another offence under the Public Order Act, namely inciting a riot. On the other hand, prosecuting a person for that offence requires the consent of the Attorney General, and Lord Hermer may withhold it. What Kneecap said last week comes closer to failing the Brandenburg Test. They weren't just inciting riot in general, but asking their fans to riot at a particular time and place. Under Brandenburg, inciting imminent lawless action isn't sufficient; it has to be likely to take place as a result of the speech in question. Is it probable that Kneecap's fans will riot outside Westminster Magistrate's Court when the lead singer goes on trial? Given that their fans are mainly middle-class soy boys who would run a mile from violent disorder, that seems unlikely. And to be fair, the band did insist afterwards that they were 'only joking'. Lucy Connolly deleted her unpleasant tweet and apologised for it, but the Attorney General, who also had to sign off on her prosecution, extended no such latitude to her. Overall, my position is clear. Bob Vylan and Kneecap should not be prosecuted for their remarks at Glastonbury and Lucy Connolly should be given a pardon and set free. But to bang her up for over two-and-a-half years and do nothing about these posing pop stars does seem like another example of two-tier justice.
