Christopher Paul O’Kane downloaded messenger apps which encrypt messages and web browsers which do not retain internet history
Antrim Crown Court also heard that in the days after he obtained the Excel spreadsheet, Christopher Paul O’Kane downloaded messenger apps which encrypt messages and web browsers which do not retain internet history.
Diplock, non-jury trial judge Mr Justice Fowler also heard that within the list of thousands and thousands of police officers and civilian employees, two officers’ names had been highlighted, one who had been involved in a previous investigation into O’Kane and another whose home had been the subject of a bomb attack.
Emphasising that the Crown does not have to prove what O’Kane’s intention was but rather a “reasonable suspicion” that the divulged list could have been used for a terrorist purpose, prosecuting KC David Russell suggested the judge could draw an inference given that “this is not everyday information.”
“Sadly, as the court knows, there has been targeting of police officers over many years and the defendant did not just have the list itself but had highlighted sections including officers who had direct interaction with Mr O’Kane,” said the senior barrister.
O’Kane, from the Iniscarn Road in Londonderry, is accused of committing acts in preparation of terrorism, possessing articles for a terrorist purpose, possessing records or documents likely to be of use to terrorists and viewing or accessing material “likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.”
While the first three charges are alleged to have been committed between August 7-19 2023 the fourth charge, alleging that O’Kane watched or accessed Youtube videos relating to improvised explosive devices and their detonation,” is alleged to have been committed between 1 August 2022 and 19 August 2023.
The particulars of the first count accuses O’Kane of researching “VPN services and how to browse the internet anonymously” and further that he “registered with online services to locate named individuals and locations; created an account on an encrypted file sharing service; created an account with an encrypted mail service with a recovery email address; sent details of serving police officers and employees of the Police Service of Northern Ireland contained on a spreadsheet to an encrypted email account; and accessed a website providing advice and training in the use of Microsoft Excel spreadsheets.”
Count two alleges that O’Kane had “two mobile phones, an encrypted USB and an ASUS Laptop, in circumstances which gave rise to a reasonable suspicion that your possession was for a purpose connected with the commission, preparation or instigation of an act of terrorism.”
The charge of possessing articles for a terrorist purpose at count three relates to the massive PSNI data breach and alleges that O’Kane had “two spread sheets containing details of serving police officers and employees of the Police Service of Northern Ireland…eleven screenshots of portions of a spreadsheet containing details of PSNI officers and a six page document containing portions of the spreadsheet” and that his possession of those documents was “likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.”
Formally opening the prosecution case yesterday, Mr Russell told Mr Justice Fowler the charges arise following a data breach when, in error, an excel spreadsheet with all the surnames, rank, roles and station of every police officer and staff member was divulged to a website “whatdotheyknow.com.”
The spreadsheet had been available for around three hours before the head of the PSNI cyber team was called back into work and the material was taken down.
Within that time frame, the judge heard, there had been 967 attempts to download the spreadsheet and of those, 668 were successful and those related to 220 individual IP addresses, 104 of which “were possible to resolve.”
When officers raided O’Kane’s former home on Main Street in Feeny just after 7am on 19 August, he was still in bed.
The court heard that as officers entered the room, he tried to hide a mobile phone behind his back and walk out and he had to be told “more than once,” to drop the phone.
Mr Justice Fowler heard how a search revealed two mobile phones, a laptop, two tablets as well as an encrypted “iron key” memory stick.
Officers’ investigations of the various devices uncovered that as well as having the spreadsheet with the two names highlighted, O’Kane had also used browsers designed to keep secret what a person has been researching on the web.
Part of that research, Mr Russell told the judge, related to detonators, explosives, the use of Virtual Private Networks and using mobile phones to ignite fireworks.
He also created, the court heard, encrypted email addresses to register with the electoral register and directory enquiries at 192.com.
Highlighting that the PPS has to prove that one use of the list could have been to assist a person preparing or instigating a terrorist act, Mr Russell submitted that “by it’s very nature and design” the spreadsheet of PSNI employees would have assisted “in the commission, preparation or instigation of an act of terrorism.”
The trial continues.
At hearing.
Christopher O’Kane
News in 90 Seconds – Tuesday October 7