The Director of Public Prosecutions this morning served papers on each of the four explaining that their trials will be heard before the three-judge, non-jury Special Criminal Court.

A State solicitor on Friday made an ex-parte application (where only one side is represented) on behalf of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to have the four accused tried before the Special Criminal Court, with the charges having been sent forward from the District Court last month.

In November, Mr Peckauskas, who is a co-accused with another man, was refused bail at Portlaoise District Court and then again at the High Court in Cloverhill in December.

The court heard that gardaí believe an attack was planned on Ireland’s first mosque on behalf of a right-wing extremist group.