Leading dissident republican Mr Michael McKevitt was today further remanded in custody for two weeks when he made a brief appearance in the Special
Criminal Court.
Mr McKevitt (51) of Beech Park, Blackrock, Dundalk, County Louth, is charged with being a member of the IRA between August 29, 1999, and March 28, 2001, and directing its affairs.
He was charged on March 30th after his arrest at his home the previous day.
Mr McKevitt is the first person to be charged with directing an unlawful organisation, an offence under Section 6 of the Offences Against the State (Amendment) Act 1998, brought in on September 3, 1998, just two weeks after the Omagh bombing of August 15, 1998, which killed 29 people and injured more than 200.
Under the act, anyone convicted of directing an unlawful organisation faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Today Mr McKevitt's counsel, Mr Hugh Hartnett SC, told the court that the defence received certain material from the state last Thursday and applied for a two-week adjournment. A previous hearing was told that an FBI agent, Mr David Rupert, will be the main prosecution witness against Mr McKevitt.
The court remanded Mr McKevitt in custody until May 28th when a date for a bail hearing is expected to be fixed.
PA