Gardaí stopped a car on the N2 near Carrickmacross, County Monaghan, at about 15:00 local time on Wednesday and found an explosive device inside. The vehicle was being driven toward Northern Ireland when officers intercepted it during an operation targeting dissident republican activities.
A woman in her 20s who was driving the vehicle was arrested on Wednesday afternoon, and a man in his 40s was arrested later. Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly said on Friday that officers found an explosive device and called it “an ‘extremely significant seizure’.”
Justin Kelly in County Tipperary
Speaking to reporters in County Tipperary, Kelly said, “Any seizure of this nature is really concerning.” He added, “However, we certainly know that there are a small minority of dissident republicans who did not agree with the Good Friday Agreement, they did not put weapons and explosives (out of use), they didn't, you know, go through with the proper process in relation to decommissioning.”
Kelly also said, “So that is something that we continue to deal with.” He said, “There's a small minority of these individuals, I would describe them as radicalised republicans, and this is a threat that we're going to continue to face for some time.”
RTÉ report on the device
RTÉ reported that gardaí sources said the bomb contained a power unit, a detonator and military grade explosives. RTÉ also reported that gardaí sources said the bomb was expected to be used as a under-car bomb in an attack in Northern Ireland.
The two arrests and the seizure point to an active police operation rather than a routine stop. Gardaí have not given a public account of the intended target in Northern Ireland, leaving the device’s destination broader than the car itself: the crossing toward Northern Ireland was stopped before the bomb reached its next stage.
Gardaí and Northern Ireland
The case now turns on what investigators can establish from the vehicle, the device and the two arrests. The stop on the N2 near Carrickmacross put the bomb out of circulation before it crossed into Northern Ireland, but the motive and intended target remain part of the wider dissident republican inquiry.
For readers in Carrickmacross and County Monaghan, the immediate fact is simple: Gardaí intercepted a bomb during a live operation, and the arrest sequence shows the investigation moved from the roadside stop on Wednesday into a broader security case by Friday.
