Man arrested and €175,000 seized in Mayo as part of garda anti-terrorism unit probe

A garda anti-terrorism unit investigating Islamist extremism seized around €175,000 in cash and arrested a suspect when they raided a property in Mayo as part of a terrorist financing investigation.

That's according to a report in the Irish Independent.

Armed members of the Special Detective Unit (SDU) were involved in the planned operation, which led to the suspect – aged in his early 40s – being arrested and brought to Castlebar Garda Station for questioning last Monday.

The newspaper revealed he was later released without charge and detailed investigations into his alleged activities are ongoing, with a file being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

The suspect is reported to be originally from a Middle Eastern country but has lived in Ireland for a number of years. He has no criminal convictions.

The main focus of the investigation is the suspect’s alleged links to Syria and other Middle Eastern countries, the report outlined.

The arrest and search operation were carried out in a very discreet fashion as this is a sensitive case.