A 25-year-old law student has been charged in Ireland after Garda detectives targeting dissident republicans intercepted an 'extremely significant' bomb being transported in a vehicle near the border with Northern Ireland.
Key facts
- Garda Síochána's special detective unit stopped a vehicle on the N2 south of Carrickmacross, County Monaghan, on Wednesday afternoon.
- The intercepted device was described as 'highly sophisticated' and 'extremely significant'.
- Isobella Perrie Sullivan, 25, a law student from Clane, County Kildare, was charged with possession of explosives.
- A man in his 40s was also arrested and remained detained in relation to offences against the state.
- The operation targeted dissident republicans, according to the Guardian.
Two people have been arrested after police in Ireland intercepted what authorities described as an ‘extremely significant’ bomb being transported in a vehicle near the border with Northern Ireland, according to the Guardian.
Members of the Garda Síochána’s special detective unit, who were targeting dissident republicans, stopped the vehicle as it travelled on the N2 south of Carrickmacross, County Monaghan, on Wednesday afternoon.
The Garda Síochána said in a statement that a woman in her 20s had been charged in relation to the device. A second person, a man in his 40s arrested in connection with the investigation, remained detained in relation to offences against the state.
The woman was later named as Isobella Perrie Sullivan, 25, a law student from Clane, County Kildare. She was charged with possession of explosives at a special sitting of Trim district court on Friday evening, the Guardian reported.
The intercepted device was described as ‘highly sophisticated’, with detectives characterising the seizure as significant in the context of their operation against dissident republican activity near the border.
The details available so far come from statements issued by the Garda Síochána and reporting by the Guardian across the day the arrests were made and the charge was brought.
Why it matters
The interception of a bomb near the Irish border highlights the continued threat posed by dissident republican groups years after the peace process. Security operations of this kind remain a live concern for authorities on both sides of the border.
Frequently asked questions
Where was the bomb intercepted?
Garda detectives stopped the vehicle carrying the device on the N2 south of Carrickmacross, County Monaghan, near the border with Northern Ireland, on Wednesday afternoon.
Who has been charged?
Isobella Perrie Sullivan, a 25-year-old law student from Clane, County Kildare, was charged with possession of explosives at a special sitting of Trim district court on Friday evening.
Was anyone else arrested?
Yes. A man in his 40s was arrested in connection with the investigation and remained detained in relation to offences against the state.