Court delays sentencing of IS supporter who stabbed garda

The sentencing of a man who pleaded guilty to stabbing a police officer and setting fire to a pub owned by Conor McGregor has been pushed back.

Abdullah Khan, 24, whose address cannot be published because of a court order, appeared for sentencing before Dublin’s Special Criminal Court on Monday.

But Ms Justice Karen O’Connor said the matter could not be finalised as the court was requesting a “comprehensive report” from the Probation Service that would address the “significant post-release supervision” that would be required for Khan, to address matters relating to radicalisation that had arisen in evidence.

The non-jury, three-judge court had previously heard he was protesting against insults to the Prophet Mohammed.

Irish police said Khan shouted “Allahu Akbar” before stabbing the officer and later expressed support for the terrorist group calling itself Islamic State (IS) during subsequent interviews.

The defendant had pleaded guilty to charges relating to the stabbing on July 29 and the arson attack on the Black Forge Inn, a bar owned by McGregor, days earlier.

Garda Gary Lynch, who was stabbed in the attack, was present in court for the hearing.

Ms Justice O’Connor apologised to the garda but said the court was not in a position to finalise the case until it had assistance from the Probation Service in the form of a “particular risk assessment”.

The matter was listed again for mention on July 13, with a view to finalising the matter before the end of term.

But Ms Justice O’Connor said the report “might take additional time”.

In a sentencing hearing last month, Gavin Ross, a detective inspector with An Garda Siochana, told the court that lines of inquiry were “still open” in relation to some of the statements taken by gardai during the case.

Michael Bowman, SC, for the defendant, suggested it may be the case that there were others “who are operating in the shadows” that prefer to have Khan “operating in broad daylight”.

He said Khan had entered a guilty plea at the earliest opportunity after seeing the book of evidence and had acknowledged the harm caused, adding that he had apologised to all those affected by both incidents.

Mr Bowman also said Khan had been in a “mental health crisis”.

The court heard that Garda Lynch and Garda Patrick Nevin were on patrol in the Capel Street area of Dublin when the attack happened.

The court was shown CCTV footage from multiple angles which showed Khan approach Garda Lynch from behind and stab him in the arm with a knife.

Shortly after, he was tackled by a member of the public before being arrested by Garda Nevin.

During a garda interview, Khan also admitted to the arson attack on the Black Forge Inn days earlier on July 25.

The court heard that he indicated he was not a very stable person, had battled with mental health issues, and had been homeless for a period.

He told gardai that he “just snapped” and had “lost perception of time”.

He spoke about how he did not trust doctors or psychologists and the court heard he had resisted attempts by his family to get him to seek professional help.

He had been living in the family home at the time of the attack.

The court heard that Khan, who was born in Ireland and is the youngest of six siblings, had spent some time studying abroad in Pakistan but found it difficult and returned to Ireland.

He has no previous convictions.

He said his radicalisation had been “getting stronger” after the age of approximately 20, and he expressed support for IS.

Mr Ross said Khan had described himself as a Salafi jihadist, and explained that this meant he followed a “puritanical, literal interpretation of Muslim law” that was adopted by IS.

He said some of the principles of this belief system were that members of security services were legitimate targets and that there was an individual obligation to pursue jihad.

The court was also shown CCTV footage of Khan pouring petrol on the Black Forge Inn, and setting it on fire with a match.

The cost of repairing the damage was placed at more than 62,000 euro.

The court heard that Khan had explained that his motive for the arson and stabbing was that the Prophet Mohammad had been insulted by people with a “right-wing” mindset and that the State had allowed it to happen.

He told gardai that McGregor was someone who “helped the far-right grow” in Ireland and he held him and all leaders responsible.

He said he wanted to send a message to the the mixed martial arts fighter not to play “very dangerous games”.

The court heard that Khan told gardai he was “very angry” towards the State and that it should denounce insults against the prophet, further describing it as “red line” that was “not to be crossed”.