Gardaí have seized suspected explosive material and component parts during a search in County Louth today, Friday, 23 October. Two men have been arrested as part of the investigation.

The Garda statement issued today says the search was carried out as part of a long-running Special Detective Unit investigation, with assistance from a Defence Forces Explosive Ordnance Disposal team.

The men, one in his 50s and the other in his 20s, were being detained at Garda stations in the north-east under the Offences Against the State Act, 1939, according to that statement.

Police confirm cross-border cooperation

Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly described the find as significant and said he had spoken to PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher this morning about continuing cooperation against dissident groups.

In a separate PSNI statement, Boutcher welcomed today’s seizure and arrests and said the service would provide support to the investigation. His assessment that the operation had prevented serious harm or loss of life is a police assessment; no intended target is identified in either statement.

The Anglo-Celt also reported the seizure this afternoon. The official Garda account describes the material as suspected explosives and does not give a quantity or an exact search location. It announces arrests and detention, rather than charges or a finding of guilt.