An Irishman accused of buying arms for the Real IRA in an MI5 sting operation has had his conviction overturned by a Lithuanian court.
The Baltic country's court of appeal found that prosecutors had failed to prove Michael Campbell had ties with the Real IRA.
Campbell, from Dundalk in County Louth, was found guilty in October 2011 after an MI5 sting operation in 2008 recorded him attempting to buy explosives and guns. He was originally sentenced to 12 years in prison.
His brother Liam Campbell was found liable in a civil trial in Belfast for the Real IRA bombing of Omagh in 1998.
Judge Viktoras Kazys ruled on Wednesday that there was insufficient evidence to deny statements that his actions had been provoked by undercover MI5 agents.
Campbell, 41, said he would return to Ireland as soon as possible.
His lawyer said: "A person cannot be sentenced for a crime committed by state officials," and suggested that he would be seeking compensation.
"He was acquitted because the court found that what he was accused of was a provocation. It was just an activity of the state security services," she said.
She added that almost six years after his arrest he was glad to be free. "It was unexpected. We thought that this case would reach the European court of human rights. We thought it would go a longer distance. Some very serious things are not right in this case but we are happy
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