Gardaí have arrested five men and seized a suspected bomb during an operation near the border in County Louth.
The device was uncovered when Gardaí stopped a number of vehicles at Kilcurry near Dundalk.
The men - who range in age from mid 50s to early 70s - were arrested as part of the operation.
They are being detained at Drogheda and Dundalk Garda Stations under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act.
It is believed the device was to be used in an attack on the security forces in the North.