The jury in the trial of five people accused of causing unlawful damage to a US military plane at Shannon Airport has returned a verdict of not guilty.
The five, ranging in age from mid 20s to mid 40s were charged with causing the damage in February 2003.
After deliberating for more than three hours, the jury returned a verdict of not guilty for each of the ten counts.
The five, 46-year-old Ciaran O'Reilly, 36-year-old Deirdre Clancy, 35-year-old Karan Ballon, 34-year-old Nuin Dunlop and 26-year-old Damian Moran wept in court as the verdict was returned.
A spokeswoman for the US Embassy in Dublin said that the embassy was 'very disappointed' with the verdict and would be discussing the implications of the case with the Irish Government officials once it had more information.
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- Nine News: Barry Cummins reports that the five admitted attacking a US military plane at Shannon but said they had a lawful excuse
- Six One News: Barry Cummins reports on the five people who were found not guilty of causing unlawful criminal damage to a US military plane
- One News: Barry Cummins reports on the not guilty verdict returned by a jury in the trial of five people accused of causing unlawful damage to a US navy plane in Shannon in February 2003
