Law student charged after military-grade bomb intercepted near Irish border | Ireland

A 25-year-old law student has been charged in connection with an “extremely significant” bomb seized near the UK-Irish border.

Isobella Perrie Sullivan, of Clane, County Kildare, was charged with possession of explosives at a special session in Trim district court on Friday evening.

A second man in his 40s who was arrested in connection with the investigation remains in custody on charges of crimes against the state, the Garda Síochána said in a statement.

Police said they were both arrested after police targeting dissident republicans in Ireland stopped a vehicle allegedly carrying the device after receiving intelligence information.

Members of the Garda Síochána’s private detective unit stopped the vehicle traveling on the N2 south of Carrickmacross, County Monaghan, on Wednesday afternoon.

Revealing details of the response on Friday, Garda sources said the bomb was “extremely complex”, complete and ready for use. It contained a power pack, a detonator and military-grade explosives believed to be Semtex.

Security sources said its possible use was as an undercarriage explosive in an attack in Northern Ireland.

Gardaí requested assistance from the Irish Defense Forces explosive ordnance disposal team, who completed an examination of the vehicle south of Carrickmacross.

Garda commissioner Justin Kelly confirmed details of the operation when he spoke to the media at a Garda graduation event in County Tipperary on Friday. “To be clear, what we found was an extremely significant seizure,” he said. “So this was an explosive device.

“Any seizure of this nature is truly worrying, but we know for a fact that there is a small minority of dissident republicans who do not accept the Good Friday agreement and who do not store weapons and explosives. [out of use]you know, they didn’t go through the proper process for decommissioning. So that’s something we continue to grapple with.”

Kelly added: “There is a small minority of these individuals who I would describe as radical republicans and that is a threat we will continue to face in An Garda Síochána for some time to come.

“But what I would say is it was definitely a significant explosive. So it was definitely not just a seizure of components or parts. It was an explosive and it did or may have caused significant damage.”

The commissioner confirmed that the operation was based on intelligence. “Obviously this wasn’t a random stop,” Kelly said. “This is an intelligence-led operation, so we certainly have information on the individuals involved.”

A security source said the possibility of building such a bomb and transporting it to the border was concerning because of the level of skill involved. Mechanical and electrical knowledge and explosives had to be procured.

They said the “radicalization of individuals captured by the internet” meant that individuals rather than organized networks may be at the center of the incident.

The pipe bombs recently used to target members of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) may have been “relatively crude”, but it turns out this bomb is different and needs an initiative device and a timer.

Garda’s seizure of the bomb showed that intelligence gathering was working. But the incident will raise concerns about the level of resources provided to the fight against terrorism since the 1998 peace agreement.

Kelly said: “We are working very closely with our colleagues in the PSNI and the intelligence services in the UK to deal with this threat. But I would like to recognize the members of An Garda Síochána who participated in this operation.”

Perrie Sullivan was granted bail at the hearing but remained in custody until a bail hearing in Monay.