A 25-year-old law student has been charged in relation to an “extremely significant” bomb intercepted near the UK-Irish border.
Isobella Perrie Sullivan, from Clane, County Kildare, was charged with possession of explosives at a special sitting of Trim district court on Friday evening.
Garda Síochána said in a statement that a second person, a man in his 40s arrested in connection with the investigation, remained detained in relation to offences against the state.
Both were arrested after police in Ireland targeting dissident republicans intercepted a vehicle that was allegedly transporting the device, after receiving intelligence information, police said.
Members of the Garda Síochána’s special detective unit stopped the vehicle travelling on the N2 south of Carrickmacross, County Monaghan, on Wednesday afternoon
Revealing details of the interception on Friday, Garda sources said the bomb was “highly sophisticated”, had been completed and was ready for use. It contained a power unit, a detonator and military-grade explosives they believed to be semtex.
Security sources said the probable intended use was as an under-car explosive for an attack in Northern Ireland.
Gardaí requested the assistance of the Irish Defence Forces explosive ordnance disposal team, which completed an examination of the vehicle south of Carrickmacross.
The Garda commissioner, Justin Kelly, confirmed details of the operation as he spoke to media at a Garda graduation event in County Tipperary on Friday.
“To be clear, what we found was an extremely significant seizure,” he said. “So this was an explosive device.
“Any seizure of this nature is really concerning. 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. So that is something that we continue to deal with.”
Kelly added: “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 in An Garda Síochána.
“But what I will say, certainly, it was a significant explosive device. So certainly not just the seizure of components or pieces. This was an explosive device and it would have or could have potentially caused significant damage.”
The commissioner confirmed the operation relied on intelligence. “Obviously, this was not a random stop,” Kelly said. “This is an intelligence-led operation, so we certainly do have information in relation to the individuals involved.”
A security source said the fact a bomb of that nature had been built and transported to the border was worrying because of the level of skill involved. It required mechanical and electrical knowledge and the sourcing of explosives.
They said that “radicalisation of individuals captured by the internet” meant individuals, rather than organised networks, could be at the centre of the incident.
Pipe bombs that have been used in the recent past to target members of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) can be “relatively crude” but this bomb appeared to be different and would have needed an initiating device and a timer.
The fact that the Garda intercepted the bomb showed its intelligence gathering was working. However, the incident will fuel concerns about the level of counter-terrorism resourcing since the 1998 peace deal.
Kelly said: “We work very closely with our colleagues in PSNI and the intelligence services in the UK to deal with this threat. But I want to commend the members of An Garda Síochána who are involved in this operation.”
Perrie Sullivan was remanded in custody until a bail hearing on Monday. Bail would only be granted under a series of strict conditions.
