Irish police have found an explosive device in a car near the Northern Ireland border and arrested two suspects, police said on Friday.
The vehicle was stopped on Wednesday as part of an intelligence-led operation, according to police chief Justin Kelly.
A woman in her 20s who was driving the car was arrested at the scene. A man in his 40s was later detained for questioning as part of the investigation.
Irish broadcaster RTE, citing police sources, said the device was being taken from the Republic of Ireland to the British province of Northern Ireland for use in a car bomb attack.
Kelly described the discovery as significant and said the explosive could have caused considerable damage.
The car was intercepted during an investigation by specialist officers into dissident republican groups, which support a united Ireland and seek Northern Ireland’s separation from the United Kingdom.
Northern Ireland was scarred by three decades of conflict between republican groups seeking Irish reunification and unionists who wanted to remain part of the UK, until the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.
According to RTE, Kelly said it was worrying that a small group of dissident republicans still retained weapons and explosives.
Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan described the incident as very worrying.
