Real IRA bombs defused in Ireland
Garda say they have uncovered a major plot
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Saturday, 28, Oct 2006 05:36
An apparent attempt by the Real IRA to disrupt the devolution process in Northern Ireland has been foiled by Garda and the army.
Irish public broadcaster RTE says that the Irish Defence Force has defused explosive material in separate locations across the Republic.
Police alerted the army to the explosives on Friday night, but due to failing light they were unable to discover any traces of the devices.
However, upon returning this morning at 09:30 BST, a "large amount" of explosives were found in Kilbranish, Mount Leinster and County Carlow, RTE says.
An army spokesman said the devices were made of "gas cylinders packed with powdered explosives from shotgun pellets mixed with petrol".
Officers believe that republicans planned to detonate the explosives in Belfast on the November 24th deadline for a power sharing agreement to be reached in Stormont.
It is also reported that the Real IRA have been testing bombs in areas surrounding where the explosives were discovered.