A lady has been charged after essentially the most significant automobile bomb present in the Republic of Ireland in a decade was intercepted by police.
Described by Gardaí sources as ‘advanced’ and ‘highly sophisticated’, the bomb was seized in transit near the Irish border in an operation targeting dissident republicans.
Authorities consider it was being moved with the intention of using it within the North.
The intelligence-led swoop saw members of the Garda’s Special Detective Unit stop the vehicle travelling on the N2 south of Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan, on Wednesday afternoon.
Gardaí then requested the help of the Irish Defence Forces EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team.
Upon completing an examination of the vehicle, the device was found and is known to have contained suspected military-grade explosives.
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It could potentially have caused ‘significant damage’, but further evaluation is required to grasp the complete extent of such.
The vehicle was driven by a girl in her 20s, who was arrested on the scene under section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act.
Following a stint in custody, she has been charged in reference to the case, and she or he is as a consequence of appear before a special sitting of Trim District Court in Co. Meath afterward Friday evening.
Meanwhile, a second suspect, a person in his 40s, is being held at a Garda station in Dublin while follow-up searches are carried out.
Confirming details of the operation, Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly spoke to the press at a Garda graduation event in Co. Tipperary today.
‘To be clear, what we found was an especially significant seizure,’ he said. ‘So this was an explosive device.’
Commissioner Kelly added: ‘Any seizure of this nature is absolutely concerning.
‘Nevertheless, we definitely know that there are a small minority of dissident republicans who didn’t agree with the Good Friday Agreement; they didn’t put weapons and explosives [out of use]. They didn’t, you recognize, undergo with the right process in relation to decommissioning.
‘In order that is something that we proceed to cope with.
‘There’s a small minority of those individuals; I might describe them as radicalised republicans, and this can be a threat that we’re going to proceed to face for a while in An Garda Síochána.
‘We work very closely with our colleagues in PSNI (Police Service of Northern Ireland) and the intelligence services within the UK to cope with this threat.
‘But I would like to commend the members of An Garda Síochána who’re involved on this operation.’
What’s the Good Friday Agreement?
Also often called the Belfast Agreement, the Good Friday Agreement was reached on Good Friday, April 10, 1998, designed to bring an end to 3 a long time of conflict.
Often known as the Troubles, the conflict cost the lives of greater than 3,500 people as a consequence of the divide between unionists who wanted Northern Ireland to remain throughout the UK and nationalists who wanted it to grow to be a part of the Republic of Ireland.
As explained by the Northern Irish Assembly, the Agreement was reached between the British and Irish governments on how Northern Ireland must be governed.
The talks resulting in the Agreement addressed issues that had caused the conflict during previous a long time. The aim was to ascertain a brand new, devolved government for Northern Ireland wherein unionists and nationalists would share power.
Ireland’s Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan also described the seizure as ‘very worrying’, but said he feels ‘encouraged’ that the authorities were ‘capable of apprehend the suspect’.
He added that there’s undoubtedly evidence of ‘an ongoing threat in respect of dissident republican activity’.
‘But I also know that there’s been great cooperation between the PSNI and An Garda Síochána, and I feel I suppose the developments recently and the work of An Garda Síochána indicate the advantages of getting that close cooperation between the PSNI and An Garda Síochána.’
Commending the Gardaí for his or her work in defusing the bomb, he noted that the incident ‘didn’t grow to be an actual threat to the general public’.
In an extra statement, PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Davy Beck said police on either side of the Irish border shared a ‘joint commitment’ in tackling the dissident republican terror threat.
Welcoming the seizure and the arrests made, he stressed the dedication to ‘keeping communities protected’ as they support the continued investigation and liaise closely with An Garda Síochána.
Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Chris Bryant commended the Garda for intercepting the device, too, explaining that their motion was ‘quick’ and ‘decisive’.
‘Intercepting a dangerous device like this undoubtedly saved lives and kept communities protected on either side of the border,’ he posted on social media.
‘Strong cross-border security cooperation stays as vital as ever.’
DUP leader Gavin Robinson described the event as ‘chilling’, questioning whether the Irish government needs to extend its give attention to tackling dissident republicanism.
‘If terrorists are able to assembling sophisticated explosive devices and moving them towards the border, then it’s entirely legitimate to ask whether the threat is being fully recognised and whether sufficient resources and operational focus are being directed towards disrupting these organisations before they reach this stage,’ the east Belfast MP said.
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