British soldier admits plotting N Ireland terror acts

A British soldier today admitted stockpiling an arsenal of explosives and making bombs for a Northern Ireland-related terror attack.
Ciaran Maxwell, 31, a Royal Marine, admitted preparing terrorist acts between 2011 and 2016.
He kept hideaways in England and Northern Ireland to store explosive substances, explosive devices, components for explosive devices, ammunition and weapons.
Maxwell bought chemicals and components and made explosives and devices.
He compiled a library of terrorism documents, including instructions on how to make explosives and terror tactics.
He also had maps, plans and lists of potential targets for a terrorist attack and images of an adapted Northern Irish police pass card and police uniform.

Media reports suggested he had links to dissident Irish Republicanism.

Maxwell, who is originally from Northern Ireland, was arrested on August 24 last year.
Since then it has emerged that at the age of 16, he was the victim of a savage sectarian beating by Loyalists, Protestants who want Northern Ireland to remain part of the United Kingdom.
The 1998 Good Friday peace accords largely ended the three decades of violence in Northern Ireland, known as the Troubles, in which 3,500 people were killed.
Maxwell appeared at England's Central Criminal Court in London via videolink from prison. He will be sentenced in the same court, on a date yet to be fixed.