Crime & Law

Louth man cleared of guns charges in Lithuania

Michael Campbell freed after being cleared of trying to buy weapons for Real IRA

Michael Campbell in court in Vilnius in August 2009. Campbell was detained in Vilnius in January 2008 on charges of buying ammunition and firearms for a splinter group of the Real IRA. Photograph: Reuters
Michael Campbell in court in Vilnius in August 2009. Campbell was detained in Vilnius in January 2008 on charges of buying ammunition and firearms for a splinter group of the Real IRA. Photograph: Reuters
Wed Oct 02 2013 - 14:01

An Irish man jailed in Lithuania after being convicted of trying to buy weapons for the Real IRA has been freed by an appeal court.

Michael Campbell, from Co Louth, was arrested in 2008 as part of an international sting operation which included undercover British agents as he tried to purchase guns and explosives in the Baltic state.

He was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2011 by a lower Vilnius court.

The Vilnius Appeals Court cleared him of the charges and released him immediately. It was not clear if prosecutors can appeal against the decision.

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AP