The National Police of the Republic of Ireland (An Garda Síochána) conducted a successful anti-terrorist operation in which they intercepted a car carrying a fully assembled and extremely powerful explosive device. The vehicle was stopped on the N2 highway near the town of Carrickmacross, located just ten kilometers from the open border with Northern Ireland.
Irish Police Commissioner Justin Kelly announced at a press conference that the bomb found contained a detonator, a power unit and military-grade explosives. “The device was fully operational and could have caused enormous destruction and casualties“, Kelly said. A specialized military sapper team was called in to defuse it.
Two people have been arrested in connection with the case. The driver of the car - a 25-year-old law student - and a man in his 40s were arrested in the Dublin area. The investigation is being conducted under the Crimes Against the State Act. Police describe those arrested as part of a minority of "radical republicans" (dissidents) who do not recognise the Good Friday peace agreement and are continuing their attempts to forcibly reunify the island.