Woman charged in connection with bomb seized near Border

Hannah Kate Costello

Gardaí investigating a suspected dissident republican bomb intercepted in a car near the Border have charged a woman in her 20s in connection with the case.

The accused, who was the driver of the car, is due to appear before a special sitting of Trim District Court in Co Meath on Friday evening.

Earlier, the Garda described the bomb seized from the vehicle as “extremely significant”.

In an intelligence-led swoop, members of the Garda’s Special Detective Unit stopped the vehicle travelling on the N2 south of Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan on Wednesday afternoon.

It is understood the device found contained suspected military-grade explosives.

Garda sources have described the bomb as “highly sophisticated” and “advanced”.

Another suspect, a man aged in his 40s, remains in custody at a Garda station in the Dublin area.

Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly confirmed details of the operation as he spoke to media at a Garda graduation event in Co Tipperary on Friday morning.

“To be clear, what we found was an extremely significant seizure,” he said.

“So this was an explosive device.” - additional reporting: PA