Two men, including the brother of murdered dissident republican Alan Ryan, have been found not guilty of the possession of firearms by direction of the Special Criminal Court.

Vincent Ryan and his co-accused Darragh Evans had pleaded not guilty to the possession of an AKM assault rifle and Webley-make revolver MkV1 at Clonshaugh Walk, Coolock in Dublin 17 on September 15th, 2011.

The non-jury court has ruled that there was an insufficient evidential basis to find the two men guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Having been in custody since September 2012, the two men walked out the front door of the Criminal Courts of Justice complex on Parkgate Street in Dublin.

The court heard that the garda investigation in to the offence began after an incident involving the discharging of a firearm on Marsfield Avenue in Clongriffin. The weapons were found during a search of a Saab car a short distance away.

'Low-level DNA' taken from assault rifle

The Special Criminal Court heard evidence from forensic scientist Dr. Fiona Thornton that a DNA profile matching that of Darragh Evans was found on the AKM assault rifle while a DNA profile matching that of Vincent Ryan was found on the AK-47 style ammunition magazine.

However, under cross-examination Dr. Thornton also agreed that the incomplete, low-level DNA profiles taken from the AKM assault rifle and the ammunition magazine may not have been a result of direct contact.

Mr. Justice Butler said the DNA evidence allowed for a number of different reasonable findings as to how it got on the items, including that they were handled by the accused or got there by secondary, tertiary or even fourth-hand transfer.

Acquitting the two men, he said the court found there were no 'strands of evidence' in either case which either individually or collectively could achieve the strength of evidence necessary for a conviction

There was muted applause from the public gallery after the court had risen.