A "violent" right-wing extremist group threatened on video to attack a Galway mosque, IPAS centres and hotels housing migrants around Ireland, a court has heard.
Two men were brought before a special sitting of Portlaoise District Court, charged with possession and control of explosives.
The explosives were discovered by gardaí and the PSNI in separate searches in Co Laois and Co Down - in a cross-border counter-terror operation.
Garrett Pollock, 35, with an address at Kilhorne Greene, Annalong, Co Down, appeared before Portlaoise District Court this afternoon, after he was arrested by members of the local drugs units in Portlaoise on Tuesday evening.
It was alleged during the garda evidence from Detective Garda Declan O'Connor of the Special Detective Unit, that a video recording had been made by four masked men indicating their intention to take violent action against specific targets.
A document described as a "manifesto" for the extremist right wing group also formed part of the evidence, having being found during searches.
The court heard that the video, believed to have been recorded in a house in Portlaoise, was found on a device seized at Mr Pollock's home and gardaí said they do not believe it had been shared.
Mr Pollock faces one charge related to the alleged possession of explosives at O'Moore Place, Portlaoise and one of possessing explosives at an address at Kilhorne Green, Co Down.
Gardaí objected to bail, based on the seriousness of the charges, that he is flight risk and their belief that he is an obvious threat to the State and could plan further terror attacks.
Refusing bail this afternoon, Judge Andrew Cody outlined the contents of the video which included four men wearing balaclavas with a tri colour behind them.
Defence Barrister David Nugent BL, for Mr Pollock, said his client did "not accept" he was one of the four masked men in the video.
In the video, which was played after the court was cleared, the Judge said the men spoke of attacking what they called "Ireland's first mosque" in Galway as well as further plans to attacks other mosques, IPAS centres and hotels housing migrants.
He said the video was a "practice of a statement being released subsequent to a successful terrorist attack".
The prepared statement addressed "citizens in the North and South of Ireland"
The Judge noted the men said they were "taking a moment to speak honestly and directly recognising that everyone in the country had enough of the poor treatment particularly children, women and the elderly who have been left homeless, starving cold and under threat due to the number of migrants that have been brought into the country by the government".
They described this as a threat to "our sovereignty and could potentially be a hostile takeover".
They went on to say they "accept responsibility for the actions that has resulted in the destruction of the first mosque that was introduced in Ireland in Ireland in County Galway".
They also said this will "not be their last attack" and describe their philosophy as an "eye for an eye" and said they intended to target IPAS centres, mosques, hotels housing migrants.
Judge Cody said seeing the video today, garda suspicions that one of these men was the accused were well founded and he refused bail.
Mr Pollock was remanded in custody, to appear back in court next Thursday.
A second man, Karolis Peckauskas, 38, of Newfoundwell Road, Drogheda Co Louth also appeared in court.
He faces one charge of knowingly having in his possession an explosive substance at O'Moore Place, Portlaoise, Co Laois on Tuesday.
Detective Garda Joe Fahy of Laois Drugs Unit gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution in the case of Mr Peckauskas.
He said when charged at Portlaoise Garda Station, he said "I do not understand".
There was no application for bail.
He was assigned an interpreter in court and was remanded in custody, to appear in court again next week.
