Trainee solicitor and accomplice arrested by Irish police for travelling with highly lethal car bomb hidden among books

Dublin: A trainee solicitor and his accomplice who were travelling with a highly lethal car bomb among university law books have been arrested by Irish police in Ireland. 

Members of the Dublin branch of the republican terrorist organization, the New IRA, were surprisingly caught by police near the border. They were caught in a major counter-terrorism operation that saved many lives.

The Garda Special Detective Unit (SDU) is questioning a woman in her twenties from Dublin and a man in his forties who was later arrested in a raid.

Unexpected inspection, shocking discovery

Police stopped a suspicious car on the N2 near Carrickmacross, County Monaghan, on Wednesday afternoon. A search of the car revealed a fully-equipped bomb, complete with a timer and detonator, hidden among law textbooks. The explosives were bound for the city of Derry in Northern Ireland. The bomb was later defused by the Defence Force's bomb disposal squad (EOD) after hours of searching.

Although the republican rebel group 'New IRA' has been operating mainly on the border of Northern Ireland for years, security agencies have recently indicated that they have been strengthening their presence in Dublin, the capital of Ireland.

Strict legal action

The accused are currently in custody under the anti-terrorism law 'Offences Against the State Act'. Their trial will be held in a Special Criminal Court without a jury.

The main charges against the accused are:

• Explosives Prohibition Act: Possession and transportation of a bomb in a manner that endangers life.
• Membership in a banned organization: Working for the illegal organization New IRA.

Cross-border investigation

The police's initial conclusion is that the explosives seized were manufactured in Ireland. The Garda team, working with the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), has intensified its investigation. The security forces are working to completely dismantle terrorist networks in Dublin.

Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly and Irish Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan have issued official responses to the interception of a car bomb attempting to cross the border in County Monaghan. Both governments praised the joint operation by security forces that averted a major tragedy.

Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan said the incident was "deeply concerning". He said it was evidence that the security threat from dissident republican activity still exists, but he commended the Gardaí for catching the suspects and the bomb before they posed any danger to the public.

Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly confirmed that the seizure near the border was an "extremely significant seizure", adding that the operation, which was based on intelligence, had disrupted a major terrorist plot.