Galway Imam Plans Prison Visit to Three Bomb Plot Convicts

Imam Ibrahim Noonan, the 62-year-old leader of the Maryam Mosque in Galway, has announced he plans to visit the three men convicted of plotting to bomb his place of worship. The imam wants to ask the convicted men directly why they targeted the community and what their purpose was. He hopes to show them who the local Muslim community is in person.

Last week, the Special Criminal Court sentenced Garret Pollock, Karolis Peckauskas, and Darren Gorman to a combined 26 years in prison. The trio was found guilty of attempting to engage in terrorist activity. Judge Caroline Biggs presided over the three-judge panel. Pollock, identified as the most culpable participant, received a sentence of 10.5 years with the final year suspended. Gorman and Peckauskas each received eight years, also with the final year suspended.

The plot was uncovered in November 2025 when gardai conducted random drug searches. Officers found explosive materials, weapons, and documents linked to a group calling itself the Irish Defence Army in a car occupied by Pollock and Peckauskas. The men planned to set fire to the mosque on the morning of November 4 or 5, 2025. At the time, up to 200 people, including children, were inside praying. This week marks the first anniversary of that planned attack.

Noonan said he would address Pollock and Gorman, the two Irish men, first. He noted that Ireland has its own history of oppression and colonization. Noonan, a former Catholic from Waterford who converted to Islam at age 23, recalled seeing the men monitoring the mosque from a white van weeks before the planned strike. He said he did not realize who they were at the time. Now, he experiences anxiety whenever he sees a white van.

Muhammad Anwar Malik, the national president of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association Ireland, led the project to build the mosque, which opened in 2014. The foundation stone was laid in 2010. Malik, a native of Karachi, Pakistan, has lived in the area for nearly 26 years. He described the shock of the plot, noting that the community is active and welcoming. He said the fear caused by the threat does not disappear when a sentence is passed. He added that many Ahmadis fled persecution in Pakistan and believed they were safe in Ireland.

Attendance at the mosque dropped after the arrests because congregants were scared. Noonan said people questioned if the attack was a one-off or if another was coming. Attendance has since increased, though fewer people attend early morning prayers. Extra security measures remain in place. Malik said Irish people are open-hearted due to their own experiences with prejudice, but he noted that Islamophobia is rising.

Noonan said he can forgive the men because he believes they were radicalized by others. He stated that his anger has decreased over time. He hopes they were sincere in their apologies for planning to cause so much harm. The mosque, named after Mary, the mother of Jesus, serves about 200 of the 500 to 600 Ahmadis living in Ireland.