Carrickmacross: Police ‘intercept car with bomb on way to attack in NI’

A car containing a “highly significant” bomb in the Republic of Ireland was stopped as it crossed the border for an attack in Northern Ireland, Irish police said.

The vehicle was stopped on Wednesday during an operation targeting dissident republican activities, but more details are just emerging. Two people were arrested.

Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly confirmed on Friday that officers had found an explosive device, describing it as an “extremely significant seizure”.

The vehicle was stopped on the N2 near Carrickmacross, County Monaghan, at around 15:00 local time on Wednesday.

The driver of the vehicle, a woman in her 20s, was arrested on Wednesday afternoon and a man in his 40s has since been arrested.

Irish broadcaster RTÉ reported that gardaí (Irish police) sources said the bomb contained a power pack, a detonator and military-grade explosives.

Gardaí sources also said it was expected to be used as a car bomb in an attack in Northern Ireland, RTÉ reported.

Speaking to reporters in County Tipperary, Kelly said: “Any seizure of this nature is really worrying.

“However, we certainly know that there is a small minority of dissident republicans who do not accept the Good Friday Agreement, who do not decommission weapons and explosives, who do not carry out the appropriate process for decommissioning.

“So this is something we continue to grapple with.

“There is a small minority of these individuals, I would describe them as radical republicans, and that is a threat we will continue to face for some time.”