IT WILL become clear today (Thursday) whether Sean Hoey will give evidence in his trial.

Whe the case re-opened on Tuesday, Hoey's barrister Orlando Pownall said his client would not be giving evidence but after a series of witnesses called by the defence, the case was adjourned until today at which time it will become clear what is happening.

Sean Hoey's defence team began their response to the prosecution case by challenging fibre evidence.

The 37-year-old, from Jonesborough in south Armagh, denies a total of 56 charges, including 29 counts of murder as a result of the Omagh Bombing.

The prosecution completed its case against Hoey in December.

Earlier on Tuesday, Hoey's lawyer Orlando Pownall QC, recalled explosives expert Gordon McMillen to be cross-examined again.

He was questioned about the condition of a detonator recovered in a defused car bomb outside Newry Road police station in Armagh in May 1998.

"You have got no explanation for why about one and a half centimetres of wire is protruding in the photographs at the end of last year and significantly less in photographs taken at the scene," Mr Pownall told him.

Mr Millen, accepted that he had no "explanation" for this, but told the prosecution if was the same detonator he had examined in October 1998.

Fibres

Later, fibre expert Roger Cook, the only defence witness to be called, said it was coincidental that fibres found on a timer power unit from a car bomb in Lisburn in April 1998, matched some taken from Hoey's home some five years later.

However, he also agreed with the findings of the prosecution's expert witness, that the fibres provided a "weak" indication that they came from the same source.

"Whilst I cannot rule out the conclusions that Dr Griffen (prosecution expert) came to, it is more likely to be a coincidental match," Mr Cook said.

Later when cross-examined by prosecuting QC Ciaron Murphy, Mr Cook accepted that "the bottom line" was that there were matching fibres between the power unit and Hoey's home.

The case has been adjourned until (today) Thursday to allow for comparison tests to be carried out on Newry Road detonator.

Depending on those results, Hoey may be asked again if he wishes to give evidence on his own behalf.